Oaken Barrel Brewing Company

In addition to my enjoyment of trying different restaurants, I have recently added an interest in locally brewed craft beers, so I went to lunch on a Thursday (5−26−16) to Oaken Barrel Brewing Co in Greenwood.
It is easy to get to from the I-​65 exit for Greenwood and there was plenty of parking. The strip mall area looks a little rundown, but the inside of the restaurant was well maintained.
I was seated in the bar area and had good service. In order to get a better appreciation of the ales available, I ordered the 5 beer flight sampler as my beverage. Some I liked, some didn’t quite make the mark for me. My favorite was the Indiana Amber (5.3% abv, 28 ibu).
What was a really pleasant surprise was my entrée. I ordered the Stanley Chicken Sandwich with cole slaw and a pickle spear. This sandwich was perfectly cooked. The chicken was moist and had really good flavor that was complimented by the other toppings of Swiss cheese, lettuce, tomato and mayo on a grilled bun. Really, this was one of the best chicken sandwiches I have had this year.
For a Thursday, there was a steady flow of customers, but not too busy for good service. I saw some other items on the menu that I will be returning for.

The best — super service — the micro brewed beers great thanks to Kwan & his children
Service is the best love to all
Steve

Good stuff, they never fail! Perfectly paired with the awesome Indiana Amber! The staff are wonderful but be in for a wait if it’s the weekend!

Been here so many times — great staff, all very kind. Delicious beers — Wide variety of food on the menu — latest favorite is the Dynamite Shrimp wrap & fries (which are delicious!)…also great weekend specials — my favorite (BY FAR) is the Spinach Artichoke dip!!!

Can’t actually review as we were seated at a booth where we could both honestly feel the springs poking thru our seats. My husband said it smelled musty inside. I found my menu to be sticky. So we sat there for approximately 10 minutes with no one coming anywhere near our table to serve us, so we left. I wonder if and when they noticed… Can’t leave zero stars which would be more accurate than the 1 I had to leave. Don’t understand why so many locals complain about the poor service but continue to go.

i’ve never experienced a bad meal or a bad beer here, but their fried pickles is what keeps me coming back!
in most cases, fried pickles are delicious until you hit around 4… then the grease becomes too much & you cant imagine eating another for the rest of the year (*cough stacked pickle cough*), but i could eat these for days on end.

Beer flight was amazing — sausage sampler was great. Fried pickles are as well. Great server! Greek salad dressing could be updates.

well where can I start, huge place and nice ambiance for a brew and restaurant. they have multiple bar areas and seating place from booths to table to park benches. located corner of a strip mall and hard to see but a good place to be and convenient. if you like little spicy food make sure to order their beef bits from appetizers menu. they are awesome.
although every time I have been here I have had tummy reaction but not sure is it the yeast in beer that doesn’t agree with my system or just food sanitary. thought I would put it out there for others who have had reactions to either or craft beer.

Love this place. The beer here is fantastic. Today I tried the Claus sausage platter. This is a dish that contains meats from the local Claus meat market. It did not disappoint. Make sure you come in Monday for all you can eat baby back ribs. These ribs are fall off the bone ribs.

My favorite restaurant in Greenwood.
First of all everything on the menu is good. Never had anything I didn’t like. Always spot on service. The owner cares about this place a lot and it shows.
Some of our favorite dishes are the pot roast, tenderlion sandwich, black bean soup, salads are all yummy and have generous portions, greek salad is my pick… you really can’t go wrong.
I have gone for over 15 years and it is always consistently good. So few places can do that. Yum!

I live in Greenwood and make it a point to go to the Oaken Barrel at least once a week.
Favorite Beers include (but not limited to!):
Indiana Amber
Epiphany
Seasonals
I highly recommend their food, too!

Don’t come here if you’re in a hurry! A group of four of us came in for dinner on a Saturday night and ended up waiting for about 45 minutes. We were finally seated in a bar area with lots of TVs on the walls.
When we finally got seated, the service was quick enough. Our table ordered Homemade Chips and Bacon Dip, a Three Amigo Taco Salad, Claus’ Sausage Sampler, and a Chubby Burger. I had the burger and it was very good, using the same bacon dip that comes with the chips.
I also tried the Alabaster Belgian White Ale, which was nice and light with subtle citrus flavors.
Overall, I would come here again, but only during a less busy time. While the bacon dip is indeed delicious, I don’t know if it’s quite worth the wait.

Rudest staff ever, mgr. allowed staff to argue aggressively with customer. Food is mediocre at best. Only thing they have going for them is carry-​out beer on Sun.

Simply put, you must try the Chubby Burger. It’ll blow your mind! If you need to be healthier, go with a friend, order a salad, and go halfsies on each! It’s good as just bacon jam/​dip, but better on the burger!

Get the gnaw bone. Mmmmm mmmmm. Love the taco salad. It’s nothing special but it’s so gooooood. If they EVER have the Oscar soup. Get it

Oaken barrel has an awesome menu and the ribs are the best around! The full rack is enough for me and my girlfriend to split and we never leave hungry. If you like craft beer they offer plenty and the Razz wheat is my favorite ! They are very kid friendly and I am never disappointed… Thur is $ 6 growler fills also!

I have been coking here for 15+ years. It never disappoints! The Razzwheat is delicious. Th recently changed the menu. I loved the shepherd’s pie that has been removed; however, the authentic German-​style Claus sausage sampler was divine. Plenty of tvs if you want to watch a game. You can also book the private room for parties. This is a true brewery and their stamina proves the quality of their beer!

Excellent food & beer/​wine menu! Excellent service super friendly staff! The barrel doesn’t need to advertise word of mouth is what keeps people returning ! I enjoy Indiana Amber and soup of the day. I’ve met the best friends there! Spring, summer, fall eat on the patio!
A faithful patron
Steve Johnston

Meh. I’ve experienced better is completely right. It’s one thing to be cozy and another to seem. dingy? I have not tried the beers yet, but the menu looked promising. A member in my group recommended the ahi tuna sandwich. Severely overcooked. Just disappointing. Going out to eat is not just about good service, which they did provide, but about good food and nice ambiance.
Nope. No thank you.
Food: ¹⁄₅
Service: ⁴⁄₅
Venue: ¹⁄₅

This is a real Hoosier favorite. Is it some new hipster joint for the hyper-​picky and self proclaimed high society?.. No.
It’s a down to earth brewery with awesome food with a quiet low key atmosphere that makes you feel relaxed while you can pick from a limitless amount of beers!
My personal favorite items now that I’ve eaten there probably 30 times:
RazzWheat beer
Bavarian Pretzel sticks
Cajun Beef tips
Asian Garlic Wings
I’ve seen where some say the service is slow or lacking. I have seen a few times that the service was a touch on the sluggish side, but usually that’s only in the rush hour times of day. And even then I’ve always had an enjoyable server trying to keep up.
Again, if your looking for a super swanky new place that you were skinny jeans and ties to, this isn’t for you. But if you want to have a great time with colts fans and all the beer you could want, this is it!

strike two: black bean soup was
. i am a huge fan of bb soup and really appreciated the uniqueness of the flavor. i am a Caesar salad fan and decided to get my shrimp fix. the salad was accompanied by some cheesy pita bread which gave it an extra umph in my book. look forward to exploring more of the menu.

Great year for apple buzz! Service is always goods food is always consistent. A local favorite.

Great food. Casual atmosphere. Great service.

Very impressed with this place, my girlfriend and I went this evening. We both got the Indiana Amber and loved it.
Got also the Idaho nachos with out the taco meat and it was a very good choice, a buddy of mine had the boneless wings with honey sauce. Would highly recommend them.
We will be going back to this gem very soon! Great place and we were well taken care of by the staff. Thanks!

I’ve been a fan of Oaken Barrel for years. The beer is good… for beer. I’m not a huge beer fan, but I did enjoy the Razz Wheat beer.
I used to go once a week after school. That’s when I stumbled upon the culinary magic that is Idaho Nachos. Not to be confused with Idpimp Nachos. A little food humor for you… I digress…
If you love nacho nachos… you are going to swoon over these bad boys. Waffle fries (hence Idaho) smothered with all the fixins. Jalapenos, sour cream, cheese, tomato, black olives and onions… and for good measure. I get mine loaded with taco meat.
Please trust me when I tell you that two people can split this as a meal and feel like being wheeled to the car.
Enjoy your meal … and libations.

The Razz-​Wheat and Supafly IPA are my go tos! I love the shrimp wrap, the buffalo wrap and their burgers but I’ve never had a bad experience here. there’s a reason they’ve been in the business as long as they have.
also a plus — OB is a great friend/​supporter of the Greenwood Fire Department!

This is one of the most depressing places I’ve ever been too. This restaurant/​brewery was diner style but there was nothing welcoming about it. It also had a smell that turned me off. My fiancé and I sat at the bar and ordered the snake pit porter and the kang rudi wheat, which were decent. The waitress working at the bar didn’t ever have a smile on her face and was also not welcoming. However, we both felt very uncomfortable by the place that we drank our beers quickly and immediately left.
Not what we expected :(

Excellent place to go to get away from the Greenwood chains. You can’t go wrong with any of their appetizers like the cowboy caviar, Idaho nachos, or dynamite shrimp. The wing sauces here are also excellent. Salads are entrée size and are all acceptable. I recommend the Asian honey. They have burgers and pizza but they also have entrees like shepherds pie, fish and chips, and Cincinnati chili.
Oaken Barrel had now celebrating 20 yrs. they are one of the original craft breweries in the state of Indiana. Beer is brewed on site. Take home a growler or enjoy a pint.

Oaken Barrel is best known as one of the first Indy area breweries, and it is a very solid place for locally brewed beer. They have their recipes down to an exact science and you can always count on a good old standby.
With so much going on in the brew department, though, I feel like their food often gets overlooked. They have an extensive menu, which usually gives me pause since it’s hard for a kitchen to do all that and do it well, but I’ve never had bad food here. Their German food is particularly good, so if you want sausages, potato salad, and kraut without a hefty price tag this is the place to go.
They have a mug club, so there are a lot of regulars. This means that if you sit at the bar you can expect friendly conversation, not just from your server but from the people seated around you as well. Really a neighborhood bar feel in a more well-​known establishment.
The takeaway: good food, good beer, amen.

Psst. do you know when Apple Buzz is coming out? Have I missed it yet this year? Maybe they’ll have some more. Does anyone know Kwang well enough to snag some?
All questions you’ll hear me start asking around the first of October when the days get shorter and the temperature gets cooler.
Oaken Barrel snags some of the cider from Adrian’s Orchard and combines it with honey from Greenwood’s HooIsYurBee Honey. This results in a tasty tart, dry brew with a 7.8% ABV with an apple-​honey aroma. It’s great to drink outside on the heated patio while the sun sets after a long day at work.
This stuff sells out fast. Seriously fast. If you aren’t planning a trip the day you get the email that it’s out, you’ll be too late. This stuff has a following, and Kwang is a genius for brewing it.
For the other 360 days of the year when you can’t get Apple Buzz, Oaken Barrel is still a great place for dinner. I’ve been stuck on the Blackened Ahi Tuna Sandwich with Waffle Fries for years now. I see several other things on the menu that look fantastic, but I always end up with the Blackened Ahi Tuna. Fortunately, I have friends who usually ask for suggestions on what to order, so they get to order the things I want to try, and I get to eat half of their food too. Hey. you do what you have to do, right?