Where Literature and Libations Meet

There are a lot of great (and cliche) combinations out there: peanut butter and jelly, pencils and paper, hide and seek, campfires and marshmallows, Holmes and Watson. But there's one great combo that I hadn't thought of...

And that's where Books & Brews comes in. It's the mullet of hangouts - a business in the front and a party in the back, half bookstore and half brewery/bar. Jason Wuerfel, book lover and beer brewer, set out to make this combination a reality. But, instead of relying on typical funding methods, he decided to use the power of Kickstarter to get this brilliant idea going. And I'm glad that he did. I noticed the campaign while browsing the Kickstarter website and decided to get involved. The campaign ended on October 21st with full funding and more. And on March 21st, five months later, Books & Brews' grand opening finally came. Plus, as Kickstarter project backers, we had the privilege of attending a backers only soft opening the day before.

The place isn't completely finished yet (they still need more books, not all the beers are brewed, and we're waiting to see our names on some furniture and the "Thank You" wall), but it was still really amazing to see all how it had all come together. And while we didn't do anything more than contribute to a Kickstarter campaign, I can't help but feel a connection to the place. I really want Jason and his crazy bookstore/brewery to succeed. We really enjoyed the atmosphere and wish we could hang out there all the time. Unfortunately it's a little far for us, but we'll still do what we can to make it up there somewhat regularly. I guess we should just suggest he open another location closer to us!

If you want more info on B&B check them out on Facebook, Tumblr, their website, and in person at 9402 Uptown Drive Suite 1400, Indianapolis. And who knows, maybe we'll see you there. Thanks for reading and have a good weekend!