OUR STORY
Taxman Brewing Company is the culmination of a passion for beer, food, travel and friendship. Our story begins in Belgium, a country the size of New Jersey that boasts several thousand different beers and hundreds of community-based breweries. It was in Belgium that three of our founders met and began extensively “researching” the wide variety of local beer options. They fell in love with the unique flavors imparted by the Belgian yeast, and when they arrived back in the states, it was time to open a brewery...
Belgian Inspired, American Crafted
2013
Taxman Brewing Co. was founded and Bargersville was selected as its home. A historic but blighted building constructed in the early 1900's building was chosen as the future site. The building was initially the Ed C. Barnett General Store, and had many other lives such as a bank, an arcade and a hardware store. Design and construction would take a year, resulting in a rustic yet modern (and AIA award-winning) dining environment, as well as a new-build brewing space.
Meanwhile, it was time to get brewing. Using tested homebrew recipes as a start, Taxman partnered with another local brewery to get beer out to market. Given the uniqueness of Belgian-style beer, it was a gamble to see how the product would be received. The first Taxman beer ever was sold December 2013.
2014
After 10 months of sharing Taxman beer at bars, restaurants and festivals, the Taxman Bargersville restaurant opened to a packed house on September 20, 2014. Taxman then quickly "declared its brewing independence" on November 5, 2014 with "Declaration," the first beer brewed in Bargersville. The brewery honed its craft, quickly gaining a name for quality brews and in particular for its Belgian-style abbey ales. Taxman continues to produce beers at this site on its original 20 BBL system.
2015
The first full year of independent brewing was defining for the brewery. Recipes were adjusted and more styles were explored. Taxman Brewing Co. packaged its first beers in 22 oz. bombers. Market preferences quickly shifted, and mobile canning lines were brought in to meet demand. Taxman would later install its own canning line, outputting over one million cans annually.
This year also resulted in our first major award, a Bronze at the Great American Beer Festival for our Qualified Quadrupel ale. This was a sign of things to come - Qualified has received 3 GABF medals, a Gold in the Brussels Beer Challenge, 5 European Beer Star Awards, and 3 Best in Style from the World Beer Awards.
Our first Death & Taxes Day, held on April 18, 2015, hosted 13 breweries and two wineries and was an instant hit with over 700 attendees.
2017
Taxman's growth continued with the opening of its second location in Fortville, Indiana. Taxman Fortville occupies two historic buildings on Main Street that were constructed in the early 1900’s as a store, jail and briefly as a firehouse, before becoming retail and office space. Its restoration project was Fortville's largest Main Street investment at that time. Many of the original building features were preserved; intermingling historic elements with modern industrial elements to create a unique dining environment and event space that remained true to its roots in the Fortville community.
Fortville’s Main Street has since attracted many new businesses to its downtown corridor and was recently awarded a $6 million grant to beautify its sidewalks, street lights, landscaping and business storefronts.
2019
A third opportunity to grow was found in the CityWay development of Downtown Indianapolis. Taxman CityWay is located in a 1850s building that served as a livery housing horses for pulling the coal wagons for Indianapolis Power and Light. By the late 1960s to 1970s, the livery was the only remaining original building on the block. In 2019, the building was moved off its foundation up to the street to make way for the CityWay development, and Taxman restored this beautiful structure and in the process created a rustic gastropub, event and live music venue and beer garden right in the center of Indianapolis, adjacent to Gainbridge Fieldhouse.
2023
Additional opportunities arrived in Bargersville, and with existing infrasturcture already in place, Taxman Hospitality was launched to manage these projects. New concepts such as Pizza & Libations, followed by Up Cellar and Cellar's Market, were opened. Visit www.taxmanhospitality.com for more info.
2024
We're celebrating our 10 year anniversary with the largest Death & Taxes Day yet, refreshed label designs on our cans, a special solar eclipse event, and more! We are so thankful to our friends, family, staff and community that have brought us here, and we look forward to continuing to deliver Belgian inspired, American crafted experiences for years to come. Join our newsletter and be the first to know all of the exciting new events and developments. Cheers!
