Pursuit for a Memorable Drinking Experience- Iron Workers Corner Bar- Indianapolis, IN

It all started as an expedition with Kevin, our Urban Indy tour guide and two close friends Kris and Mike. We had a creative bug in us that day as we started at the Rathskellar around 2pm and ended with a stroll to an old school  Indianapolis bar on the corner of English and Shelby called the Iron Workers Corner Bar.

Iron Workers Corner Bar is the place you always say you need to check out! It’s not the typical pub you might find yourself sharing drunken stories of debauchery in on a typical Saturday. It’s by far not a trendy Broad Ripple watering hole and you won’t find a line outside with a stuffy doorkeeper deciding if your dollar and image is worthy.  It reminds me of one of those smoke-laden, working class neighborhood pubs with a half lit Budweiser light you would find in what looks to be someone’s home in a Pennsylvania laboring town.

It’s more about the genuine feeling of hospitality we received than the décor at this pub!

We were greeted at the door by bartender Terry with a “what are you doing taking video outside my bar” kind of look.  After reassuring him our motives were genuine, “We’re here as drinking customers” Mike said, he graciously allowed us access to his corner of intoxication in Indy. As we walked in to the bar the 3 guys playing cards did a quick double take and continued on with their game while others were trading consecutive shots of Peach Schnapps , taking their turn at video bowling or repeatedly spinning up “Take it Easy” by the Eagles.  I immediately request PBR, my preferred lower-end alcoholic beverage, after seeing 2 PBR taps.  However, I was just as quickly denied as I realized those taps hadn’t projected a drop of carbonated pleasure juice since the days of “Just Say No!” So you won’t find a working tap at this pub, just canned beer and a cooler full of the best mid-grade intoxicants on that fringe of Fountain Square!  

Every time we mentioned heading to the neighboring “leg licker” bar, as one patron called it, Terry would pop the tab on 3 more Miller Lights and decline our attempt at payment. That, including a replenishing supply of bagged pretzels and cheddar popcorn and a round of peach Schnapps was a great way to make who 3 guys who had been drinking all day feel at home! The owner, Bill, also welcomed the 3 wandering adventure drinkers with a hospitable presence and seemed to encourage Terry’s generosity with a devious smile!

Unless Terry decides to pull out the Fender Strat he has locked up in the old military blood cooler, not much for live music on a Saturday here! As far as the jukebox, besides an unsavory infiltration of a Creed (“new hair”) and a 3 Doors Down CD, it was relieving to find it full of music my grandma (maw maw) used to rock to over a pack of Marlboro Reds! Mike especially enjoyed the Kentucky Headhunters that kept spinning up!

The Iron Workers Corner Bar had its days as a pharmacy and a place for railroad workers to stay when they needed sleeping rooms after a rough day on the tracks. Terry has been the managing barkeep for the last 16 years.
 
For me the Iron Workers Corner Bar is reminiscent of a pub full of your cool aunts and uncles who subconsciously encourage you to have that first sip of alcohol from your Dad’s secret rusty beer fridge.

We never felt judged and even though we were strangers to that tight knit rousing of daily drinkers we always felt welcome.

So the next time you’re looking for a bar where everyone from the owner to the daily patron reminds you of the cool relative who pretended to not notice you reading his new Playboy when you were 10, then take a short cruise southeast of downtown Indianapolis to the Iron Workers Corner Bar!

To make your adventure even more entertaining ask bartender Terry about the “Bag full of titties!” and the “Piss Funnel.” Oh and ask for Sunny if you’re looking for some used vintage camera gear that he picked off some yuppies at a garage sale in Fishers.