Subscriber Benefit
As a subscriber you can listen to articles at work, in the car, or while you work out. Subscribe Now
Scarlet Lane Brewing Co. LLC announced Monday plans to close tap rooms in the Meridian-Kessler and Kennedy-King neighborhoods in Indianapolis while continuing to serve customers at three other locations.
Saturday will be the last day of operations at 4601 N. College Ave. Unit C and 1702 Bellefontaine St., the craft beer company announced via social media posts.
Eilise Lane, the company’s CEO and head brewer, told the IBJ that personal health challenges contributed to the decision to close the two locations.
“It’s taking me away from work, not just as a brewer but from running the company,” she said of an undisclosed illness. “One of my business partners is also my husband, and he’s spending time going to doctors with me.”
Meanwhile, Lane said the two bars scheduled to close have struggled to attract a customer base comparable to the pre-pandemic era.
“Coming out of COVID, we’re not seeing the market coming back the way we saw with our other locations,” Lane said. “It’s been so unpredictable. Honestly, the reason that we have kept them going so long is because we care so much about the people in those communities.”
Lane said 12 employees will be affected by the closures.
“We are trying to work people into other locations, and we’ve been working with other companies to hire those people,” she said.
Scarlet Lane, a pop culture savvy company that bills itself as “the official beer of horror,” launched in 2014 with a brewery in McCordsville. The McCordsville location will remain open, along with tap rooms in Irvington, 5632 E. Washington St., and Beech Grove, 704 Main St.
Lane said the three Scarlet Lane locations will benefit from management’s increased attention.
“We’ve been spread thin and it’s been hard to make sure every single place has that magic that we wanted,” she said.
Known for its Dorian Stout and varieties named Sammy Terry Kolsch and Slasher Ale, Scarlet Lane made its Irvington debut in March by taking over the flagship bar of bygone Black Acre Brewing Co.
Regarding the closure of the Meridian-Kessler tap room near the intersection of 46th Street and College Avenue, where neighbors include the Root & Bone and Gallery Pastry Shop restaurants, Scarlet Lane’s online post mentioned efforts to “actively [work] to bring a new tenant to our space and keep the social gathering of this corner alive.”
Please enable JavaScript to view this content.
Not surprised. Not very good.
I didn’t want to say it but I have to agree. Lived in Irvington and went many times. The beer just doesn’t hit. Nothing kept us coming back. I really miss Black Acre Brewery!!