THE EARLIEST DOCUMENTED evidence of beer’s existence includes a Mesopotamian pictogram dating back to 4,000 BCE. It depicts two people drinking through long reed straws from a single pottery jar. The straws clue us in to what the figures are slurping, because beer at that time was essentially just wet grain left in a pot to ferment and therefore had all sorts of chaff and debris floating on the surface; thirsty humans just wanted the sweet nourishment beneath. The image illustrates more than just the ancient method of beer-drinking. It also hints at the setting in which brew was enjoyed: with other people.
We don’t know what the two people are talking about between sips. We can’t even be sure what language they spoke. But the relic tells us that 6,000 years ago, beer was a social substance. Now, the way we make, drink, serve, and even discuss beer has changed. But the way we share it has not.
Today, more than 170 Indiana craft breweries—dozens in the Indy metro area—have supplanted the pubs and bierhauses of old as neighborhood purveyors of locally brewed ales and lagers, and gathering places for friends, families, and pets. Sometimes proximity to home or work is all you need to have in common with your fellow drinker. But other times you want a deeper connection, a mutual interest or hobby, whether it’s horror movies, bicycling, or brewing beer itself.
Each Indy brewery, either by design or organically, has its own distinct
