Best New Breweries: Four Day Ray

Brewers like to think of themselves as glorified janitors, but visitors to Four Day Ray are hard-pressed to find any of the grit associated with making craft beer. Despite taking its name from lazy rail hands who didn’t put in a full week of work, the Fishers brewery, which opened last fall in the redeveloped Nickel Plate District, skips the dirt-under-the-fingernails routine. On the fifth day, Ray must have been working on his interior-design degree. With soaring ceilings, inlaid wood trim, and industrial garage-door windows, the FDR taproom is one of the most beautiful in Central Indiana.
Owner Brian Graham started as a home brewer. (His Belgian Wit won best-in-show among amateurs at the 2000 Indiana Brewers’ Cup.) Now that he has 24 taps to show off his product, Graham produces a lot of seasonals and eight regularly offered varieties. An outdoor sign for the blonde—the art depicts a falling woman with a slightly upturned dress—caused a flap last fall, but the ale itself won’t blow anyone’s skirt up. It’s a modest-yet-satisfying alternative to domestic light beer. The IPA, on the other hand, smacks of marmalade and resin, an excellent interpretation of the West Coast style. And the Scottish Ale is a smoke-kissed wonder so light, you’ll have room left for dessert.
Which is lucky, because to complement a menu of upscale pub grub, pastry chef Bridget Horan produces some post-dinner winners. Her S’mores Skillet Sundae alone is reason enough to visit, even if you’re not drinking beer.
11671 Lantern Rd., Fishers, 317-343-0200, fourdayray.com