Craft brewery comes to Fountain Square

INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) - Summer 2011 will be bringing to a new brewery to Indianapolis.

Fountain Square Brewing Co., a craft or micro-brewery, will be bringing its unique flavor to Indianapolis’s retro Fountain Square.

The brewery was an idea conceived by partners Bill Webster, Jeff Gibson and Justin Brown, and while they each come from very different backgrounds professionally they have one important thing in common—a passion for home brewing.

“It seemed natural to put our collective talents together to open a brewery,” Webster explains in a news release. “Our diverse expertise in automation and controls, business management, and chemistry and biological science will bring a high level of quality and consistency to our crafted beers.”

For the three men, the location of their business was key, and Fountain Square turned out to be the clear choice.

“We think a microbrewery is a great fit, and we’re excited to be part of this happening neighborhood,” says Webster in a news release.

Southeast Neighborhood Development (SEND), which has been working to attract a microbrewery for the past year and a half, is also excited to bring the brewery to the area.

“It’s a perfect complement to the unique mix of independent retailers and restaurants, bars and entertainment venues, artist studios, and arts organizations,” says Mark Stewart, President of SEND, in a news release.

Fountain Square is a neighborhood growing in popularity, and because of this Stewart is confident that Fountain Square Brewing Co. will be a success.

Fountain Square Brewing Co. will be located in the one-story building at 1301 Barth Avenue. The facility was once a carburetor repair shop, and is across the street from the former Wheeler-Schebler Carburetor Factory. That factory is now home to 36 artist lofts and to SEND’s office.

On opening day, Skip Duvall, another Indianapolis brewer, will join the partners.

“Not only is Skip a great brewer, he shares our passion for great beer and our desire to be actively involved in our community,” says Webster in a news release.

For the next several months before opening, Webster, Gibson and Brown will be preparing their building for production, and they have a good feeling about their new venture.