Introducing Taxman CityWay

Recent construction projects on the southern fringe of downtown may seem to leave little trace of the city structures that once were. Yet one local brewery with a fiercely loyal following is bringing back a bit of the centuries-old spirit of South Delaware Street. It just took a little moving to get it where it is today. Taxman Brewing Company, which opened in 2014 to nearly universal praise for its textbook Belgian-style ales served in an old bolt factory in Bargersville, threw open the doors of its stunning new downtown location last week. And while part of the charm of the brewery was making the 30-minute drive past suburban subdivisions to the decidedly bucolic environs of the original tasting room, fans of the brewery’s farmhouse ales and the now-famous Deduction Belgian dubbel are just as happy to be able to fill a growler or pick up a six pack a little closer to home.

Situated in the rustic confines of a onetime livery stable that was relocated a few addresses up the street in 2018 to accommodate CityWay’s residential and retail expansion, the new Taxman CityWay features soaring ceilings, vintage candelabra lighting, and exposed original brickwork that make for a pretty stylish setting for sampling Taxman’s portfolio of beers, which has expanded from the original ales and saisons to the current 25 offerings on tap. A nearly 3,000 square-foot beer garden to the north side of the building promises a perfect urban backdrop for warm night drinking and dining come next spring. After expanding to a second storefront brasserie in Fortville in 2017, where artisan cocktails and such upscale gastropub fare as liege waffles and mussels and frites were added, owners Leah and Nathan Heulsebusch, along with partners Kirby and Colin McCloy, have pitched the new downtown location somewhere in the middle of their first two outposts, with an accessible menu of snacks, salads, sandwiches, and selected entrees, with a few of the Fortville waffles available for good measure.

Famous from the original Bargersville menu are the brewery’s frites, deeply golden brown and earthy, served with a variety of sauces from a straightforward aioli to an aromatic curry ketchup. They’re just as good—if not a bit improved—at the new location. Earthy yet fluffy sweet potato hushpuppies offer a satisfying crusty exterior and come with both a lush lime crema and bracing peppadew pepper jam to balance the sweetness. Salads make for surprisingly good beer pairing, such as the current seasonal salad of spinach, sliced apples, spiced-up walnuts, and bleu cheese tossed in an apple cider vinaigrette. It’s equally good with the house La Maison saison as with a bourbon barrel-aged Qualified quadruple. A dolled up mac and cheese bowl with Southwestern accents of roasted poblanos, ancho crema, and pork belly, all crowned with crisp pork rinds, has a sauce that can be slightly watery but that’s definitely not short on flavor. And staff, still getting the hang of all of the features of the spacious new location, definitely are making customers old and new feel welcome at downtown’s freshest beer spot that yet has a foot firmly set in the neighborhood’s storied past. 310 S. Delaware St., 317-734-3107, taxmanbrewing.com/home-cityway/

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