Scarlet Lane Brewing to close two of its five locations

A local haunt will shutter two of its Indianapolis locations this weekend.

Scarlet Lane Brewing, known for a variety of horror-themed brews, recently announced it would close its tap house and pizza parlor at 1702 Bellefontaine St. on the near northside as well as its beer and calzone kitchen at 4601 N. College Ave in SoBro. Both locations will operate while supplies last until officially closing Saturday, Dec. 9.

Scarlet Lane CEO and head brewer Eilise Lane cited health concerns in addition to small business challenges for the closures. She said Scarlet Lane had to unexpectedly renovate the kitchen at its Bellefontaine location due to undisclosed health code violations that the previous tenant incurred. Meanwhile, Red Line construction delays hindered business at the 46th Street location, which opened in January 2019.

A percentage of profits earned through Saturday at both locations will go to Scarlet Lane staff. Employees laid off due to the closures can pick up shifts at Scarlet Lane's remaining three locations — McCordsville, Irvington and Beech Grove, Lane said. Scarlet Lane is also working to secure new jobs for employees, some of whom have already been placed.

"We've also been working with other really great people in the community and other businesses trying to help those that are affected get new jobs," Lane said.

Lane, who spent much of her childhood in Greencastle, practiced home brewing for multiple years in Oregon before receiving a diploma from the American Brewer's Guild. She opened Scarlet Lane's first location in McCordsville in 2014 as an homage to the Pacific Northwest techniques she mastered as an adult as well as the horror icons she grew to love watching Sammy Terry and Elvira as a girl.

"Why not do two things that you love?" Lane said. "There are a lot of people out there that love to share their love of beer via sports or something like that. I've always loved horror and literature, and so if I get to have my two passions involved, there's nothing better than that."

Scarlet Lane specializes in stouts, India pale ales and "the obscure" — a line of themed beers such as HorrorHound Ale and Halloween special Slasher Pumpkin Seed.

"I'll have a fever dream and I'll write an entire recipe based on that," Lane said. "I find someone in time and literature and history that I want to represent through grain and hops and water, and so I'll dig deep to find styles that no one is using or they're not really thinking about anymore to represent those emotions and who I'm seeing and hopefully share that with everybody else."

The self-proclaimed official beer of horror will remain available at Scarlet Lane's Beech Grove and Irvington locations, where Lane said business is more reliable due to greater occupancy and more consistent crowds. While she consolidates Scarlet Lane's operations and takes time to address her health, Lane urges Indianapolis residents to support their favorite local spots.

"It really has such a big impact on those that are starting businesses, those that are there helping us every day and then our community that becomes our family," she said. "Supporting local is what keeps that going."

Contact dining reporter Bradley Hohulin at bhohulin@gannett.com. You can follow him on Twitter/X @bradleyhohulin.