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Beerfeast

Basketball season and grilled cheese month are in full swing, and that means bar food. The sports tie-in should be obvious, but on closer inspection, so is the grilled cheese: The four food groups of pubbery are cheese, rings, wings and various and sundry other unrecognizables, owing to their being covered with more cheese. Bring it on.

Lucky for us, this city has a wealth of options for the dining-minded drinker, from casual grub to the unusual and upscale.

Broad Ripple is a mecca of gastropub goodness. Broad Ripple Brewpub (842 E. 65th St.; 317-253-2739) must lead this pack with its authoritative name. The menu is a smorgasbord of well-prepared standbys and innovations, and in their Scotch eggs pizza ($7.50 for a small), the Brewpub conveys both. Brewpub pizzas are good. But if you top them with slices of hard-boiled egg that’s been wrapped with breaded sausage and then deep-fried, it’s a consummated dare. Waiters require you bring a clean bill of cholesterol health before ordering.

Just kidding. But really, you can only order two Tripel de Ripple microbrews from Brugge Brasserie (1011 E. Westfield Blvd.; 317-255-0978). It might be public knowledge, but it still bears mentioning that the “moules frites” ($13.95) dish — 2 pounds of Prince Edward Island mussels with a cone of pomme frites — is bread well broken between a Triple de Ripple and friends. The fresh herb pesto dipping sauce is a winner for the frites, and everything else.

If that second Tripel de Ripple isn’t enough, stumble over to The Wellington Pub inside the Corner Wine Bar (6331 Guilford Ave.; 317-255-5159) and order a Devil Dancer Triple IPA, a 13 percent beer by Michigan’s Founders Brewing Company. The pub’s tangy cheese crock ($10), served in a bread bowl with sour green apples and pecans alongside, is the perfect complement to the dark beer’s hops and chocolate notes. The bitter hops would also do well with their salty marinated chevre ($10). Of course, The Wellington serves other beer besides Devil Dancer, but that one also stands up to their meaty skewers with chicken, beef and prawns ($13).

A little meandering brings you to the best of Keystone kitsch. The Pawn Shop Pub (2222 E. 54th St.; 317-255-5430) may not sound like the place to pick up food, but some say its breaded tenderloin ($6.75) is one of the best around. Other exemplary fried fare here includes the hand-dipped onion rings ($2.25 for a half order — cheap!). If you’re in for a lunchtime beer, try one with the named-for-a-regular Mokie sandwich ($6.95). It has turkey, cheddar, tomato, eggs, mushrooms, sprouts and lettuce on wheat bread.

Also on the Northside, Hot Shotz gastropub (4705 E. 96th St.; 317-818-9510) has over 60 beers and one of the most formidable pub menus in the city. They claim to serve the best wings in Indy; a small order is on them if you don’t agree. The Polynesian and “hot three” sauces are their most popular. If the hottest wings are never hot enough for you, try the hot three, which blends traditional Buffalo-style sauce with Habanero pepper. Black and bleu nachos combine the gastropub’s cut-in-house strip-steak with black peppercorns and crumbled bleu cheese. Watch for Hot Shotz’s rotating menu specials.

Sometimes you want something different. Though you won’t necessarily escape the cheese, you can have it decadently reinterpreted at Water’s Edge Pub & Eatery (9755 Fall Creek Road; 317-842-2087). The jumbo cheese ravioli Gorgonzola ($8) plate contains three creamy pillows of cheese, topped with more. Try them with a light and citrusy brew.  

Chances are that some weekend may see you drinking downtown, and you might get hungry. No worries. BARcelona Tapas (201 N. Delaware; 317-638-8272) is the only carrier in Indianapolis of a hard-to-find Spanish lager — the light, herbal and lemony premium Alhambra, as well as the malty, complex Alhambra Negra. The easygoing former would go well with many small plates here. Manager Chris Armstrong recommends the dark lager with the beef brochette ($7.25), skewered with red onions and served with a red wine and horseradish sauce. But, oh, the lamb chops ($9.95) are marinated in red wine, olive oil and garlic, then served with sherry cream and red wine sauce. So try those first.

The next most obvious choice after visiting Spain, in my opinion, is England. If you sympathize, hop over to the relatively new Chatham Tap (719 Massachusetts Ave.; 317-917-8425), and try their steak and Guinness pie ($14.95), sirloin simmered with onions, raisins and brown sugar under a pie crust. This one takes a Guinness (duh) or the like. Manager Holly Vandelinde says they also offer homemade Chatham Tap sausage ($13), which she recommends pairing with an amber. And for goodness’ sake, while you’re there, try to find something to pair with Monty Python’s Holy Grail Ale — like the superb garlic pork tenderloin ($7.50).

Spencer’s Stadium Tavern (802 S. West St.; 317-916-8888) features beer-worthy daily lunch specials — including fish ’n’ fries, beef soft tacos and a buffalo chicken sandwich — for only $6.

Suds ’n’ grub: Is anything better?