KOBTR #139 | 31 Flavors

When Kevin Matalucci's Twenty Tap opened last fall, we wasted no time in visiting for a roundtable. Back then, Twenty Tap had exactly what the name of the pub suggested: 20 taps devoted to craft beer. But recently, the pub added 11 new taps, expanding Twenty Tap's offerings to an impressive 31 craft beers. With the pub regularly posting its taplist on Facebook, we noted Twenty Tap's recent addition of beers from breweries new to Hoosiers, such as Sixpoint Craft Ales from New York and Triton Brewing Company from Indianapolis's east side. So we decided that a return trip to the pub for a roundtable was in order. What did we drink? Stuff from the new kids, of course: Sixpoint's Gemini, which is a double IPA, and Triton's Sweet Georgia Brown, a brown ale brewed with espresso beans from Indy's Bjava Coffee & Tea.

Triton Sweet Georgia Brown. This beer is for coffee lovers. My first thought when the bartender set this burgundy brown beauty in front of me was, "I can smell the java in this thing from a mile away." Yes, this beer had a powerful nose. As for the flavor, Sweet Georgia Brown was like a cup of the richest, darkest coffee with a good dose of turbinado sugar. 4.15 Mugs.

Sixpoint Gemini. I was excited to see Sixpoint's entry into the Indiana craft beer market. I'd never had a Sixpoint beer before trying Gemini, but I'd always heard great things about their beers. Gemini did not disappoint. The beer was unfiltered, pouring with a murky red-gold color. The predominant flavor was heavy citrus, with an aggressive grapefruit note hitting the palate hard. Nice work from the new boys. 4.00 Mugs.


Twenty Tap is absolutely one of the best pubs in the city.  They've only been open a short time and they have already expanded their tap list from twenty to thirty-one delicious offerings.  On my long list of things I love about the place, besides the great food (the Vegan Bahn Mi is outstanding), friendly staff, and never-ending list of beer options at some of the best prices in the city, is that they serve half pints.  This is a HUGE deal for me and one that I will never stop thanking them for.  This thoughtful option allows for more exploration of the beer list and that’s a big plus for any beer lover.

On this particular visit we sat down with one local, and one newly distributed brewery.  Our local option is the Sweet Georgia Brown, that comes from Triton Brewing in Lawrence.  Living on the southwest side and working on the northwest side means that trips to Triton are unfortunately few and far between, so it is nice to see them offered around town.  I really dug their Gingerbread Brown when it was out and I was hoping to like this one as much.  While I had no doubt that I would enjoy it, just how much went above and beyond my expectations.  As soon as the beer was set in front of me, I was smitten.  I could almost smell the coffee aroma before I even had the glass in front of me!  Juan Valdez wouldn't be able to get over how much coffee aroma was coming from this beer!  The rich aroma followed through into the flavor, blending coffee and malty sweetness together.  4.75 Mugs.

The next beer up was Gemini, a DIPA from Sixpoint Brewery out of Brooklyn.  This hazy, orange brew smelled fantastic.  Citrus and pineapple were on the forefront, just as I like it.  I’m guessing the keg was getting pretty low, because something in the texture of the beer reminded me of tomato juice.  No harm in that.  The flavors were excellent, of grapefruit and pineapple, maybe even a hint of pine in there.  At 7%, this leans towards the lower end of the ABV scale, as far as an DIPA is concerned but make no mistake, this packs some punch.  4.00 Mugs.

I could continue with telling you - like those before me - about how great 20 Tap is. But judging from the constantly busy status of the restaurant, you already know. There will always be a need for great food and great beer at a reasonable price in Indianapolis. There's no secret formula.

Triton has been in business for a few months now, making inroads into bars across the city, and continuing the trend of chasing the out of town one-off craft breweries from tap handles. This is a good thing, as any city that would like to be known for its beer culture has to start with a strong local brewery presence. Triton's Sweet Georgia Brown Java, with its cuppa joe nose, copper/amber color, and three dimensional (front, middle, and back) coffee flavor, may not be the best coffee beer you'll ever have, but it's not one you'd ever call weak. 3.75 Mugs.

After arriving in Indiana last month, Sixpoint immediately caught my attention with their solid lineup of offerings. Thanks to friends, I've now had most of those selections, and I can say that I was happy with them all. Gemini, their Double IPA, impressed me the least. The beer is cloudy to the point that it looks like applesauce in the glass, with a thick creamy head. This is a fruity DIPA, but unlike my fellow knights, I didn't pick up the overpowering citrus fruits you'd expect. Instead I found a hint of grape followed by a sliver of pineapple. There's definitely a bite of alcohol heat here, too - finishing a little hot. Don't let this scare you off Sixpoint, though - they're definitely worth checking out. 3.3 Mugs.


Triton Sweet Georgia Brown
Jim: 4.15 Mugs | Mike: 3.75 Mugs | Gina: 4.75 Mugs
KOTBR Score: 4.22 Mugs

Sixpoint Gemini
Jim: 4.00 Mugs | Mike: 3.30 Mugs | Gina: 4.00 Mugs
KOTBR Score: 3.77 Mugs

In Search of the Top Class Beer Bar

If there's a reoccurring complaint amongst Indianapolis' better beer fans, it might be that the city still lacks the top class beer bar that many other cities have. In Chicago, drinkers choose from The Hop Leaf and The Map Room. In St. Louis, International Tap House's (ITAP) two locations give locals 40 taps handles and nearly 500 bottles to choose from. In New Albany, Rich O's Public House boasts an expansive selection, in addition to regular events which highlight the variety and creativity of better beer. Muncie's Heorot provides plenty of options, with unmatched prices and a legendary cellar.

Perhaps our best options for selection in Indianapolis - Chumley's and Shallo's - each leave something to desire. Chumley's often features a lineup no one else can touch - but despite regular rotation, the focus never seems to be on the beer; more so the college crowd that fills the smokey room¹ on most evenings. The Shallo's tap list and bottle selection might be the best in the city, but perhaps between an audience that's still drinking plenty of macros and the restaurant's family friendly status, beer doesn't seem to be the headliner².

Others have taken a shot at it; Scotty's Brewhouse has a nice selection, but food is still the focus. MacNiven's has long had an interesting and diverse selection, but the bar allows smoking. The recently opened Twenty Tap has many the right touches, but the selection doesn't go deep enough to rank it amongst those beer bars that many consider the gold standard. There are many more who've made great strides - but nevertheless, Indianapolis continues to miss the mark.

But who sets that mark? What is it that makes a beer bar truly memorable? It's not just a tap list. It's a feeling that the bar's primary focus is on beer - not food (though that's always a nice touch), not in extraneous customer entertainment (I'm not sure televisions even belong in such a place), not even a well-rounded lineup (those are getting easier to find). Places like San Francisco's Toronado make the list because beer is the only thing you'll find inside. Closer to home, Louisville Beer Store (while not exactly a bar) gives off a similar vibe - a non-nonsense dedication to beer, from bottle and tap selection to glassware.

One thing that might be overlooked: staff. A top class beer bar has a staff that not only knows the beer on tap, but also can direct you to alternatives should your first selection be unavailable. If I approach the bar looking for something from Lost Abbey, I don't expect to be offered an alternative selection from Abita, even if both make an Abbey Ale (and that's no slight to Abita's Abbey, which I haven't had). It's about reading people as much as beer labels. It's not an easy skill to acquire - you have to not only know beer styles, but where labels fall in the hierarchy of beer geek appreciation.

What we really want is a bar that appreciates beer in the same way we do. From the geeky stockpiling of rarer selections, to the dedication to cellaring that beer in a cool dark space, to showing a willingness to sit on and care for the right kind of beer for later sales, to special relationships with breweries that lead to special releases. The top class beer bar not only displays a high level of geekery, it revels in it.

If Indianapolis doesn't have that bar now, one thing is for sure - it won't happen overnight. The pieces and possibility may be in place, but putting them together requires more than just money - it also requires a bit of magic. Here's hoping there's a magician already in our midst, just waiting to unleash his plan.

We can dream, anyway.

¹ An opinion: Allowing smoking in your beer bar means you're not putting enough focus on the beer. We can all agree that nose is a huge part of the beer drinking experience, and the guy or gal smoking that cigarette next to us isn't helping.

² I'd argue that perhaps Shallo's location hurts its reputation as much as anything - people just aren't going to head to the southside for beer

KOTBR #134 - Zombies on Twenty Taps

The new rules of not being an asshole include not reviewing places in their first week open, or at least approaching those reviews with the understanding that restaurants need a little time to iron out the wrinkles of customer service. On the other hand, when a place impresses you right out of the gate, it's hard not to share.

I'm not going to pretend to be impartial to Twenty Tap (5408 North College Avenue) - we've known Kevin Matalucci for quite some time now, and you won't meet a friendlier gentleman. But regardless of all of that, I feel confident saying that his new place is going to do well, and deliver on the promises he and chef Rob Coate made back in our interview in July.

No, there's no fried bologna on the menu. No oysters. No state-fair-style ribbon fries.


But there is a full menu of interesting burgers, fries with dipping sauces, a list of sandwiches, and those twenty taps. Our party of five all ordered something different, and everyone left happy and planning to come back for more.

It's hard not to notice the similarities between Twenty Tap and Kevin's long-time employer, the Broad Ripple Brewpub. Twenty Tap feels like Broad Ripple Brewpub 3.0. Brighter lights and colors, more taps, a more streamlined menu, but similar seating, darts out front, but bigger windows - less cozy, more open.

As for Zombie Dust, I'll leave the gushing to my counterparts, but I will say this - the beer was dangerously close to being our second perfect score on the site. It basically came down to me asking myself "If I were in a bar and this was on, is it automatically the first thing I'd order?" The answer to that question is no, but that doesn't mean that it isn't a fantastic beer, among the best available anywhere. It's just not the perfect beer for me. Whatever the hell that means.¹


This is one of those reviews where I'm not going to screw around. No writing in a Neil Patrick Harris persona. No cribbing scenes from Twilight. No Rob Halford impersonation. In short, no shenanigans. Why? Because my Twenty Tap experience was so good that I can't possibly make it take a back seat to my ego. But be forewarned that I may be prone to hyperbole here.

That being said, I am being earnest, very earnest, when I say that Twenty Tap is darn near perfect when it comes to the beer, the food, and the location.

Let's talk beer first. The beer menu had selections from Indiana and midwestern craft brewers, including Three Floyds, Sun King, Flat12, Founders, Bell's, Crown, and People's to name just a few. The pub offers full pints and 10 oz. pours as well, both for a reasonable price. Most pints were going for $4.50 a pop.


As Mike has mentioned, we went with Three Floyds Zombie Dust, which is much sought after when it goes on tap anywhere in this town. This single-hop (Citra) pale ale has the classic attributes of a Three Floyds pale ale: aggressive pineapple, mango, and grapefruit notes. It's also backed with a nice, somewhat caramel-like maltiness. I've had this beer before and have really dug it. But something about Zombie Dust sat perfectly for me when we had it at Twenty Tap. Perhaps it was just the buzz of being in a new neighborhood craft beer bar that helped. I don't know. But if Zombie Dust tastes like this when I have it in the future, it will officially become my favorite Three Floyds beer. The best of the bunch. Yes, it's a 5 mug beer for me, at least on this occasion.

The food -- I can only judge by what I had, which were, simply enough, the french fries. I know Ted Miller never reads this blog anyway, so I'm going to say it: Brugge Brasserie has some competition for the best fries in town now. The fries were perfectly crisp on the outside (that's the third time I've used the adjective "perfect" in this review) and fluffy on the inside and were accompanied by a delicious roasted garlic aioli. A glance over the menu told me that I would be returning to eat because Twenty Tap has not just one but several vegetarian options, including a smoked mushroom Rueben and a vegan banh mi. This vegetarian greatly appreciated this attention to detail.

The location -- a 10-minute bike ride from my place, a 5-minute commute by car. After our visit for the roundtable, I returned on Saturday afternoon to down a Founders Porter, Cerise, and Breakfast Stout. This will be my new go-to drinking establishment. Need I say more?


I fell in love with Zombie Dust (then Cenotaph), the first time I laid my lips on it. The orange-pineapple nose was bright and very enticing. The similar flavor gives a sweet, sticky kiss on the lips rather than a punch in the mouth, but don’t tell Floyds that. They have a punch in the mouth image to uphold. Not only would I order this without question, I would go out of my way to find it. I sincerely hope the distribution of this makes it down here on a regular basis and I hope the citrus flavors are just as good from the bottle as they are on draft. I suspect they probably will be, though.


Zombie Dust wasn’t the only thing I was enamored with on this night. Twenty Tap felt like home from the moment we walked in. We were lucky to quickly secure seats at a large booth in the front of the restaurant. It was hard to choose what to order, as just about everything on the menu sounded great. Of the bites I did try, the perfectly crisp fries and the pickled beets were among my favorites.

Something on the menu that I didn't get to take advantage of on this trip, but will happily do so in the future is the half pints. I cannot stress how excited I am that this small, but important touch, is included on the menu. Half pints should be mandatory, in my opinion, at any establishment that offers a range of craft beer taps and I am eternally grateful to Twenty Tap for offering them. With that much good beer on tap, it's nice be able to have several choices, while still being able to be responsible.


Three Floyds Zombie Dust
Mike: 4.85 Mugs | Jim: 5.0 Mugs | Gina: 5.0 Mugs | Chris: 5.0 Mugs
KOTBR Score: 4.96 Mugs

¹Of course we just got rid of the rankings so none of this matters.

Twenty Tap: Kevin Matalucci's Meridian-Kessler Bar

Kevin Matalucci has been brewing in Indianapolis for a long time. As the head brewer at Broad Ripple Brewpub, he's made a lot of friends in the Indiana brewing community. So it may seem natural that as he watches old friends shuffle from working for others to owning their own, the inclination to join the brewer/owner club might have tickled his fancy.

"I always knew that I would do something, and I'm still going to work at the Brewpub," he said. "I love making beer, but I always knew that I wanted to do something else. I've always talked about doing something and then opening up a brewery never seemed to fit the bill. Then with so many opening, it was like 'Well, now they need a place to purvey their products.'"

He'll provide that place when he opens up Twenty Tap (5408 North College Avenue), in the space formerly occupied by Northside News. He hopes to open the bar by the beginning of August, if not sooner, as the space (entirely built by Matalucci) was nearly finished when we visited. "It's just buttoning everything together," he said, "most of it is pretty much taken care of."


In addition to twenty taps, plans call for a menu featuring locally sourced food. "Kind of an offshoot of a gastropub, I guess - good pork, good oysters, good burgers. Fresh and local ingredients, everything you would expect with good beer," said Chef Rob Coate, who patrons may recognize from his previous stints at Pizzology, L'Explorateur, and Elements.

Matalucci added, "It'll be sandwich based opening up - like a fried balogna sandwich, stuff you don't see anywhere. We will have ribbon fries like you get from King Tater's at the state fair. Different funky burgers - Ted (Miller, owner of Brugge Brasserie) and I have been.. Ted's really the inspiration. He gets these ideas - 'We're making these tonight'. We had this African spiced lamb burger with apricot chutney, with goat cheese on top and arugala. Just different combinations. Rob is good with different combination, and we're trying to get the kitchen done here so we can experiment."


Getting crazy with the image stitch program
Of course Twenty Tap's focus will be on beer - "My competitive advantage is the personal relationships I have with all these people," said Matalucci. "Mostly I just plan on featuring regional product. But mostly it will be (beer from) the people that I know."

What's different about Twenty Tap than other bars? "Well, it's the kind of bar I want to come to," said Matalucci, "and there's lots of those, don't get me wrong. But I like a big long bar (space) with nothing else in it, and that's what this is. I only went with twenty taps because I want to go through the beers. I don't want anything getting old or stale, I want it to be fresh all the time."

"It kind of weeds out the sports crowd," said Coates, "there's no banners or televisions.."

"We will have a tv," said Matalucci, "but it's kind of like (the television at) the (Broad Ripple) Brewpub - minimal."

"It's for people who are going out to get a good beer, instead of just going out to drink," said Coates.


Matalucci has spent the past 18 years working at Broad Ripple Brewpub. What spurred him to open Twenty Tap now?

"The space became available, and I just knew that I wanted to do something. This has evolved over time. I always knew that I wanted some kind of beer bar that people weren't really doing."

"It's just the next phase in life," he said. "I'd love to continue brewing (at Broad Ripple Brewpub), but it's just the next phase. I can't be idle for real long. All my home improvement projects are pretty much done, it was time for me to work on something else. This space opened up and it just seemed like the right fit at that time."

He started the project in May of 2010. Originally going by the name "Firkins", it was going to be a brewery where all the beer was served firkin-style. What did Broad Ripple Brewpub owner John Hill think of the idea?

"He's always been very supportive," said Matalucci. "Starting your own place, like he did with the wine bar - he worked all day at his other job, and then built the Corner Wine Bar. When I busted out the (Twenty Tap front) window, he came over here to help me lay this out."

"He's been very supportive," he said, "very generous with talking with me about how they've organised their businesses, and how to set up the financials - both he and Nancy have been very generous with their time and knowledge."


Of course Matalucci is still a brewer at heart. So perhaps the space won't be just a bar forever.

"At some point I'd love to have a brewery (at Twenty Tap). I've even got a spot in the basement for it, and I will pursue that once this is open. But that's just kind of a side note."

* * * * *

I made in an earlier version of this article - Rob Coates never worked at H20 Sushi. The article has now been corrected.