Last Wednesday evening, my wife and I had the distinct privilege of attending the brewer’s dinner at the brand-new JW Marriott Indianapolis. The event was held at High Velocity, the hotel’s sports bar, in conjunction with local craft brewery Sun King Brewing.
This was my first opportunity to check out the JW Marriott, and I’ve been a fan of Sun King’s beer for a while, so it was a match made in heaven for me. I had high hopes for the event, but it managed to exceed my expectations.
For starters, we were seated at a table with Sun King Owner/Brewer Clay Robinson and 
sourcing extraordinaire Dustin Boyer. How cool is that? We chatted about beer, life, favorite foods, how we (the guys) managed to snag girls way above our pay grade, and much more. If they represent the ilk of the Sun King team, they not only make delicious beer but they are great people.
Beyond the fantastic company, the hotel is absolutely stunning—High Velocity is a top-notch establishment—and the staff was incredibly accommodating. And then there was the dinner.
The meal consisted of four courses paired with four Sun King beers. To start we were given a glass of Sun King’s Sunlight Cream Ale, a Silver Medal winner at the prestigious 2010 World Beer Cup, to set the mood. The meal commenced with courses of chicken tandoori lettuce wraps, Asian wings, skirt steak filled with asparagus on a bed of potatoes with bacon and bread pudding a la mode. The courses were paired with Sun King’s Osiris Pale Ale, Abby Normal Belgian Pale Ale, Buffalo Dominator Barrel-Aged Dopplebock and Java Mac, respectively.
I don’t have enough space here to properly expound on the greatness of the food and beer,
so I think just leaving it at “it was amazing” will suffice. I would not hesitate, for even a moment, to send you and your significant other to either Sun King’s tasting room or any of the fine restaurants inside the JW Marriott. Trust me, adding one, or both, of these to your evening is a wise decision.
Oh, and the next pairing event at the JW Marriott is September 23rd with Woodford Reserve, a small-batch bourbon made in Kentucky.
What’s the best local beer or hotel restaurant experience you’ve had in Indy?
