A place that I've visited a few times before and stopped into during a recent trip to Indianapolis is the Alcatraz Brewing Company in the heart of the downtown area in the Circle Center Mall at the corner of Illinois and Maryland (see map). I had a busy day and wanted to get a quick bite to eat. I happened to be near downtown so I stopped in.
Alcatraz Brewing Company came to Indianapolis in 1995 as part of a group of four A.B.C.'s that were under the California Cafe corporate umbrella. The original Alcatraz was located in Orange, CA, while two more were in Tempe, AZ and Detroit, MI. In 2003, California Cafe went bankrupt and the Alcatraz Brewing Companies in Indianapolis and Orange were bought by the Tavistock Restaurant Group, along with six California Cafe locations. The A.B.C.'s in Detroit and Tempe folded in December of 2003.
Even though both Alcatraz Brewing Companies are under the Tavistock corporate umbrella, they are radically different in both their menus and the selection of beers they make. Both have sort of the same decor - they're supposed to be reminiscent of the old Alcatraz prison in San Francisco Bay with steel bars and metal seats throughout the restaurant. At first glance, you sort of think, "What the hell?" But the concept works very well.
Omar Castrellon (right - picture courtesy of Indiana Beer) is the head brewmaster at the Alcatraz Brewing Company in Indianapolis. Omar has been at A.B.C. in Indy since 2002. Omar got his start in the brewing business working at the old Heidelberg brewery in North Carolina in the early 90's. He did the grunt work at first before rising to the position of head brewer just before the brewery shut down. He kicked around at a couple three brewpubs before getting the call to come to Indy.
Omar brews a number of annual and seasonal beers for the Alcatraz in Indianapolis. He does a very good job at it, as well. I'm sort of partial to their Pelican Pale Ale - an American pale that has a nice hoppy and citrus taste to it; and what they call The Devil's Ale - a very smooth beer with a light copper color to it that has a light hoppy flavor.
It was around 8 p.m. when I got into Alcatraz Brewing Company. A couple people were at the host stand and I asked if I could eat at the bar. Sure, no problem. So I found a spot at the bar and ordered up a pale ale from the bartender.
I got a menu and began to look over what they had for that evening. Alcatraz Brewing Company has the standard brew pub fare - appetizers, burgers, sandwiches and salads - but they also feature some nightly specials, as well as some interesting entrees. The chef at A.B.C. likes to incorporate some of Omar's beers into his recipes such as the beer-battered fish and chips, smoked ribs with a sauce made of the dark ale beer they have, and beer-battered chicken strips.
One thing that I've had before at the Alcatraz Brewing Company and I wanted it again was the Jambalaya Fettucine with blackened chicken, andouille sausage, and prawns in a spicy Creole cream sauce with fettucine noodles. I got a house salad along with my order and I was set for food.
Sitting at the bar, you get a good look into the open kitchen area at the Alcatraz Brewing Company. It was hopping with a lot of activity that evening. On the wall behind the bar are a couple of flat panel televisions that had games turned on. I was able to catch some basketball and read some of my paper at the same time.
Before he brought me out my food, I asked the bartender for a glass of A.B.C.'s October Bock that was featured on the beer board behind the bar. This Munich Maarzen style of beer had a very smooth malty taste to it. I thought it would work well with my meal.
Soon thereafter, my bartender brought me out my bowl of the Jambalaya Fettucine. I couldn't quite tell for sure, but I think my prawns were just plain ol' shrimp. Of course, I can't really tell the difference between shrimp and prawns. But they were still good, just the same.
The andouille sausage was very flavorful. The blackened chicken didn't have quite the spicy bite I normally expect with blackened food. But the fettucine and the Creole sauce was very good. It wasn't overly spicy, but it did have a noticeable bite to it. It was a very large portion and after picking through the chicken, shrimp and sausage, I still had a lot of fettucine noodles to go through. I left a few in the bowl. The meal was a spot-hitter.
Compared to other brew pubs that I've been to in the past, I have to say Alcatraz Brewing Company compares favorably to the best of them. The food is good - consistently good. The beer is also very good. I think Omar Castrellon does a good job with the beers he brews. The place can get loud with a lot of people dining and drinking. But it's comfortable and casual and is a place that I'll continue to go to when I get the chance in the future.
(Update - Alcatraz Brewing Company, which had been in place since the mall opened in 1995, closed in early 2011. It has been replaced by a California Pizza Kitchen. I'll withhold my editorial comments on CPK at this time.)
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