Just off Interstate 65 (the superhighway connecting Indianapolis and Chicago), in the northern Indianapolis village of Whitestown, lies the home of Moontown Brewing Company.
We visited the brewpub inside the historic brick building, which originally housed the Whitestown School District gymnasium, built during 1939-1941. The school closed 50 years ago, and since then has served as a beauty school, auction house, warehouse, t-shirt factory and apartments until purchase by the owners of Moontown.
Moontown’s owners began as home brewers in the early 2000’s, working from a barn on the Hutton farm in Boone County. After their entry in the inaugural Whitestown Beer Fest earned first place, they decided to take their hobby to the next level, and convert the former gymnasium into a brewery and restaurant.
During the renovation and construction, they have honored the building history by incorporating elements of the gym into the design, including the gym windows, basketball court markings, and wood from the bleacher seats. They’ve also taken a giant Bur Oak tree from the Hutton farm, which fell in 2015, and used the wood to build the bar tops, tables, and wall accents in Moontown Brewing Company’s dining areas.
Officially opening to the public in January 2018, these design elements are the first thing that catches the eye when entering the building. It’s a warm, spacious gathering place. After that, it’s the friendly staff and diverse beer menu, a refreshing change of pace in an IPA-dominated craft beer culture, that will stick in the memory. There’s also a limited but appropriate pub menu of tasty salads, dogs, burgers and sandwiches.
There were eight of Moonstone’s brews on tab, so we opted to try the flight and sample all of them. Everything tasted super-fresh, which wasn’t surprising since the journey from tank to tap was a short one, but still not something that can always be taken for granted. The majority of the brews are above average (on the 5 point scale), including two exceptional selections. Here are our rankings in order from best to least favorite . . . . . . . .
1) CHOCO-DEECE (rated 4 of 5), a great double chocolate milk stout with great balance (5.7%, IBU 33).
2) BIG TRIP (rated 3.75), a strong tripel golden ale with notes of stone fruit (9.9%, IBU 27).
3) Four beers tied for third place. They were:
KING OF TROY, a light lager with German malt and noble hops (6.0%, IBU 28).
HEF-CZKOWSKI, a hefeweizen with malted wheat and notes of banana and clove (5.7%, IBU 12).
SUMMER SUNSHINE, an American pale ale with Maris Otter and pilsner malts and a bit of local honey (5.6%, IBU 45).
CECIL, the flagship IPA, juicy and the only hazy beer on the menu. (6.8%, IBU 61).
4) Two beers tied for fourth place:
MOONLITE, a cream ale, subtly sweet, good and mild (5.5%, IBU 18).
INTO THE VOID, a porter with chocolate and a bit of caramel (5.8%, IBU 32).
Visit MOONTOWN BREWING COMPANY at 345 Bowers Street, Whitestown, Indiana 46075 (317-769-3880) https://www.moontownbeer.com
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