New Indy Craft Pass Partner - The Mash House
West Fork Whiskey Co. has been producing excellent spirits for years and now has a 30,000-sq.-ft. agritourism space open in Westfield which includes the family-friendly restaurant, The Mash House. The menu focuses on Hoosier/Midwest favorites with a twist that utilize fresh, local ingredients. Try the Corn Puppies drizzled in maple syrup and served with whipped maple butter or the Signature Tenderloin that takes the Indiana favorite to a new level. Those 21 and over will also be able to order West Fork's signature whiskey-forward cocktails. Visitors will love the rustic, suburban gastropub vibe indoors and the seasonal options for outdoor seating. Stop by and check in on the Indy Craft Pass!
Upcoming Events & Hoppy Happenings
Through December 18 – A. Ward Creations Holiday Sale Bier Brewery – 65th Street Bier’s neighbor is having a big sale and using the code “BIER” at checkout gets you 30% off. Grab a pint and head next door to get that holiday shopping done. Bier has some gift options, too, like gift cards, merch, festival glassware, and of course, beer. December 21 – Winter Art Market Sun King Fishers Admission is free so can spend your money at the market. Meet talented artists and artisans offering unique creations which are perfect for gift giving or as gifts for yourself. In addition to shopping, enjoy Santa, carolers, crafts, and hot cocoa. December 23 – Paint Your Pet! Metazoa It’s an afternoon of craft beer and painting – no art experience required. Enjoy a pint while you work on your masterpiece, a custom-painted portrait of your pet. This is a 21+ only event. Tickets are $35 and a photo of your pet must be submitted to the instructor prior to the event. December 31 – Glitter Gala – A Dazzling New Year’s Disco Daniel’s Vineyard Usher in the New Year in style with a sophisticated disco party. It’s an unforgettable evening of glamour, grooves, and glitter to bid farewell to the old and welcome the new with a night of elegance, rhythm, and radiant energy. Dress code: Channel your inner disco diva or dapper disco dude. Think sequins, metallics, and glamorous accessories. Tickets are $75-$100. December 31 – Groovy New Year’s Eve Party West Fork Whiskey Co. - Westfield Have an unforgettable night of groovy vibes and New Year’s festivities to welcome the upcoming year. Put on your dancing shoes and groove to the beats of DJ INDIANA spinning the best tunes from the past and present, sip delicious cocktails crafted by expert mixologists, bid in a fantastic silent auction, and as the clock strikes midnight, prepare for a champagne toast. Tickets are $75-$125. December 31 – NYE Big Lug Canteen Featuring bottomless food and drink, champagne toast, karaoke, giveaways, prizes, and more. Big Lug has all the ingredients for an amazing night. Tickets are $95. December 31 – 2023 Wrapped: A New Year’s Eve Cider Pairing Ash & Elm Cider Co. Kick off your celebration by revisiting the 12 Ciders of the Month from 2023, each paired with a delectable bite. For example, Purple Gayz with pineapple pork taquitos, Lemongrass Coconut with Thai peanut cilantro chicken satay, Melon Medley with a cheesy prosciutto pastry puff, and Sugar Plum Snowday with sticky toffee stuffed plums. This is not a seated dinner with 12 courses; instead it is a go-at-your-own-pace, cocktail-party atmosphere. Admission is $75 and includes tickets good for each of the 12 food pairings and 12 four-ounce cider pours. January 9 – Taxman Brewing Pairing Dinner 101 Beer Kitchen Come for five courses paired with six brews from Taxman Brewing Co. Enjoy great pairings and maybe even learn a thing or two about why certain items pair so well together. Tickets are $140-$280. January 20 – ’80s Ski Lodge Party Metazoa Step back in time to the raddest era of neon, leg warmers, and big hair at this party with great beer, fire pits, hot chocolate, local shopping, and more. Listen to ’80s music all day, hit the photo booth to snap a pic with your pup, visit local vendor pop-ups, and watch some retro ski-themed movies on the big screens. This event is free to attend but all guests must be 21 or over. February 9 – Winter Woodlands Indiana State Fairgrounds and Event Center For the second year, this VIP experience will be an outstanding lead-in for the next day’s Winterfest. Featuring live music and loads of barrel-aged beverages, this Friday night event focuses on hand-selected craft libations like beer, cider, mead, wine, and cocktails. Cocktail attire is highly encouraged. Tickets are $60-$70. February 10 – Winterfest Indiana State Fairgrounds and Event Center This is the largest winter event for the nonprofit Brewers of Indiana Guild. Sample hundreds of beers, ciders, and more brewed by dozens of Hoosier breweries while enjoying local food, shopping, games, and more. Tickets are $15-$85. Look for a giveaway soon for Indy Craft Pass subscribers. February 17 – Frigid Digits Winter Beer Fest Centerpoint Brewing The 7th annual festival boldly goes where few Indiana events have gone before in February...outdoors! The event features unlimited samples from more than 30 local craft brewers and distillers, a DJ spinning, games, the return of the Yeti, an ice-luge and other cold-weather entertainment surprises, food trucks, and available heating areas. All attendees will also have convenient access inside Centerpoint for additional beers, seating, and yes, warmer temperatures. Tickets are $20-$50.
News
Ash & Elm Looking for a perfect gift for the cider lover in your life? Buy $100 in gift cards and get an additional $20 gift card, grab a sweatshirt (sizes XS-2XL), and buy or gift membership in the quarterly cider club. Boxes include four packs. Big Lug Come try new releases like Coffee Cake Stout (pastry stout to soothe your sweet tooth and your beer tooth at the same time, this is made with hundreds of pounds of cinnamon pecan coffee cake), Hans Gruber IPA (everyone’s favorite Christmas movie villain has a Christmas beer that’s a heavily hopped COLD IPA), and and Cranberry Cardamom (a canned cocktail collab with Hi & Mighty featuring bold cranberry and cardamom flavors). Big Woods The Beer of the Month is Santa Quaff Amber Ale, a winter warmer with holiday flavors of nutmeg, clove, cinnamon, and brown sugar. The featured cocktail is the Coquito made with toasted coconut rum, coconut cream, whipped cream, cinnamon sugar, and toasted coconut to garnish. Need a stocking stuffer? Purchase $50 in gift cards and get a $10 bonus card. Daniel’s Family Vineyard & Winery There’s still time catch the holiday spirit through December 23 at Winzer’s Wonderland pop up bar featuring a festive cocktail and snack menu. Fridays and Saturdays ($30) are 21 and over only. Sundays ($15) are family friendly and include kids activities. Tickets include one drink. Give the gift of warm, buzzy drinks this season with The Pawty Pack (whimsical variety pack featuring twelve cans of oexceptional wines adorned with heartwarming watercolor dogs by the talented Jenna Cook) or The No Ruff Holidays package (special holiday art by Jenna Cook honoring Indy’s iconic downtown Circle of Lights adorns bottles of Circle City Red, a semi-dry, full-bodied estate red with essence of black cherry, spicy fruit, peppery flavors, and a bold, velvety finish. Need a cozy night out of the hustle and bustle of holiday planning? Make a reservation for one of Daniel’s comfortable igloos nestled among the vineyard’s scenic beauty. Four Day Ray FDR is supporting Down Syndrome Indiana throughout December with the Tapped for a Cause program. A percentage of food sales every Tuesday will be donated. If you’d like to do a little more giving, purchase $50 in gift cards and receive a bonus $10 or give a friend a Lifetime Ray’s Mug Club membership for exclusive perks and benefits. Earn a $20 gift card with every Mug Club purchase through the end of the year. Goodwood Brewing & Spirits Sip a refreshing Winter Warmer Christmas Ale to catch some holiday spirit. Made with cinnamon, nutmeg, cardamom, and other seasonal spices, this is what Santa himself drinks to stave off the cold while piloting that sleigh. If it’s a gift you seek, spend $50 or more and receive a $10 Bounce Back card to use after January 1. Grand Junction Brewing Co. Stop by for special beer gifts this month. VIP club members can enter a raffle for a chance to purchase barrel-aged bombers of Radio Kyiv. On the first day of winter, also the darkest day of the year, December 21, Darkest Day Imperial Stout will be released with a little party. You can also enjoy other dark offerings like Imperfect Backside (infused with nitrogen for an extremely smooth mouth feel complementing the dark and roasted malts) and Dark Road Porter (smooth, robust American-style porter with rich, roasted chocolate and coffee flavors). Dress to stay warm. The next day, December 22, sees the release of a brand new Double IPA. December 23-31 will be a spectacular end of year sale including discounted VIP Junction Club sign ups and renewals as well as an additional 10% off merchandise. Guggman Haus Brewing Stop in for holiday tastings and gift buying. There’s new merch (cozy new designs on knitted beanies, crewnecks, hoodies, and stickers), Haus Brew Crew membership, and plenty of new releases. Newly tapped are Into the Wild Sour: Black Currant Plum (brewed with vanilla beans and black currant and plum puree to produce a fruited sour berliner weisse) and Clouds of Citra DDH Dbl NEIPA (brewed with heaps of Citra and Cryo-Citra hops to create a beautifully bold citrus profile with an extremely smooth and balanced mouthfeel along with bright, refreshing notes of citrus in every sip). Other recept tappings include Traveler’s Trek TDH Triple NEIPA (triple dry hopped with Citra, Simcoe, and Vic Secret featuring big notes of peach, tangerine, ripe melon, and refreshing pineapple for a juicy body with a smooth, creamy mouthfeel and a balanced sweetness), Brew Crew: Chocolate Vanilla Porter (starring a blend of cocoa nibs from Ghana and Uganda and vanilla beans from Madagascar and Comoros, this brew was crafted to provide a delicious vanilla profile balanced with light roasty notes from a chocolate malt blend), Coconut Chocolate Strawberry Stout (bold imperial stout conditioned on loads of coconut, Uganda and Ghana cocoa nibs, and freeze dried strawberries for a smooth and creamy mouthfeel with tasting notes of balanced coconut and chocolate and background fruity notes from the strawberries), Barrel Series: Imperial Milk Stout #7 (imperial milk stout aged in an Old Elk Wheated Bourbon Barrel for flavors of bright raisin and plum, followed by background notes of caramel, cinnamon, cocoa, hazelnut, and oak), and Holly Jolly Ale (brewed with a medley of seasonal spices, milk sugars, and molasses for a spice-forward nose with delicious notes of sweet gingerbread). Hard Truth Hills Grab a $50 gift card by December 31 and receive a $10 bonus card. Ready to whip up some special cocktails for holiday guests? Hard Truth’s Maple Bourbon Cream (MBC) is versatile and also on sale. Buy two bottles for $39.99 or one bottle of MBC with a bottle of Sweet Mash Rye Whiskey for $69.99. Find plenty of MBC recipes here like Maple Bourbon Iced Coffee, Maple Bourbon Espresso Martini, Hard Truth Horchata, Pumpkin Maple Martini, Winners Drink Milk, Maple Bourbon Ball Martini, Irish Coffee, and even a couple of food offerings, Maple Bourbon Blondies and Maple Bourbon Cream Balls. Hotel Tango – Fletcher Place Through December 31 Salute to Santa is making spirits bright, whether you’re naughty or nice. Every Tuesday-Sunday you can visit the pop-up bar to snuggle up by a crackling fireplace, enjoy warm, cozy vibes and camaraderie, and sip limited-edition holiday craft cocktails like Happy Christmas, Harry (house Butterscotch Bourbon Cream, caramel, vanilla cream soda, whipped cream, coconut milk), Sugar Pom Fairy (Hotel Tango Vodka, Hotel Tango Lemoncello, lime, pomegranate, basil, club soda), Cranberry Old Fashioned (Hotel Tango Bourbon, Hotel Tango Cherry Liqueur, lime, cranberry, clove), Santa’s Got a Brand New Bag (Hotel Tango Vodka, white chocolate liqueur, aquafaba, mint). Admission is free and you must 21 or over. Kismetic Beer Company Come try the new kettle sour, Cranberry Orange Vanilla Berliner Weisse. It was mashed with Pilsner malt and flaked wheat then cold steeped on a double dose of @nelsonstea Cranberry Orange Vanilla blend for a tart cranberry and sweet citrus on the nose, balanced by crisp acidity, bright orange, and creamy vanilla on the pallet. Sun King Brewing Get those holiday gift cards to complete your shopping for the beer fans in your world. Spend $25 and receive a $5 bonus card. Hoops There It Is, the wheat ale with subtle peach flavor, is available now in a special all-star edition. It’s the perfect drink for basketball season, especially the NBA All-Star Game coming to Indy on February 18. Valentino Delight is tapping December 22. The blend of port and bourbon barrel-aged ale with coffee and chocolate is going to break some hearts. Need a non-alcoholic option? Sun King’s Hopopolis IPA and NA Sunlight give you all the flavor without the ABV. Look for opportunities for holiday trivia contests throughout the month at Sun King’s Carmel, Downtown, and Fishers locations. Taxman Taxman got an early gift in late November at the annual European Beer Star Competition in Nuremberg, Germany, which honors beers that are genuine, full of character, and of high quality. More than 550 breweries from 47 countries took part in the competition and Taxman brought home two medals: gold for Deduction (Belgian-Style Dubbel) and silver for Qualified (Belgian-Style Dark Ale). The beer fan in your life will love the 12 Beers for Holiday Cheers box filled with 12 Taxman beers ranging from seasonal to barrel-aged brews plus an exclusive new release. Each beer includes a food pairing card for the best combination of flavors. Buy one for $75 and get a a $25 gift certificate as a bonus. You’ll also want to be part of the Red Envelope Deal. Select an envelope when paying your bill at any Taxman location in December, but don’t open it. Bring it back in January or February to reveal the deal inside, which is a discount ranging from $5-$50 off. Taxman’s latest collaboration, Backbone Single Barrel Bourbon, was barreled in November of 2018 and re-barreled in an Imperial Frozen Assets (Imperial Milk Stout) Barrel in August 2023. This exclusive bourbon makes a great gift. Beer highlights include Tax Holiday (full-bodied Belgian-style dark ale with buckwheat honey and chocolate rye to create a rich and spicy malt base with hints of molasses and cherry), Domestic (this new pilsner is classic, clean, and very easy to drink, made with malted barley from the American Midwest), Hop Audit: Simcoe (Farmhouse India Pale Ale with an endless combinations of boutique hops and saison yeast for notes of stone fruit and pine, backed by the zesty and peppery esters of farmhouse yeast), and Bourbon Barrel Tax Holiday (barrel-aged Belgian-style winter dark ale featuring aromatic buckwheat honey and malty hints of cherry and chocolate, accented by the smooth, warming notes of toffee and vanilla from the bourbon barrels). The Beer of the Month is Exemption, Belgian-style golden tripel ale brewed with spices for crisp golden flavors of lemon peel, orange peel, and coriander spices as well as flavorful Belgian esters for a round, balanced body, complemented by golden candi sugar. Triton Brewing Company and Bistro The 8th Annual Gift Card Holiday Special continues through December 24. For every $25 gift card you purchase, you receive a $5 bonus card. The gift os beer, whether in cans, growlers, or kegs, is also appreciated. Freshly tapped is White Chocolate Strawberry Golden Ale, a special sweet holiday treat. Upland Treat your friends to Upland experiences. Purchase $50 in gift cards and receive a $10 bonus voucher. Consider gifting a 2024 Mug Club membership ($35-$60) with all the special privileges involved including a 23 oz. mug of beer for the price of a pint, a “virgin” mug pour (a freebie first beer), an exclusive t-shirt, exclusive parties throughout the year. When you sign up, tell them Bad Elmer sent you. Stop by for holiday cheer with Hazy Holidays IPA, an Imperial double, or a peppermint cheesecake with Oreo crust andwhite chocolate sauce.
If you need another reason to celebrate with a drink:
Sangria Day is December 20, Coquito Day is December 21, Eggnog Day is December 24, National Bloody Mary Day is January 1, and National Hot Toddy Day is January 11.