Taxman Brewing in Bargersville opening gastropub near Geist

The owners of Taxman Brewing Co. in Johnson County’s Bargersville are heading north to open a second location in another up-and-coming town—Fortville.

Taxman, operated by husband-and-wife team Nathan and Leah Huelsebusch, in addition to Matt Rogers and Brian Fisk, launched in 2014 and quickly made downtown Bargersville a destination.

Now they hope to harness that success and take it to Fortville in Hancock County. The town of just 4,000 sits east of Geist Reservoir—past McCordsville on U.S. 36 and within minutes of Hamilton County, where the population is surging.

“Because we’re so far south of Indianapolis, we wanted to have a location on the north side to connect with those customers,” Nathan Huelsebusch told Property Lines. “We were interested in the north side, generally, and Fortville caught our attention because there’s a lot of development going on [near] Fishers.”

Owners are targeting a mid-June opening—an arrival that undoubtedly will be welcomed by Fortville officials. The town is undertaking $6 million in infrastructure improvements and has expanded its tax-increment financing district while creating another in an effort to attract more development.

Taxman owners bought two buildings in downtown Fortville—one dating to the 1890s—and are embarking on a $1.5 million redevelopment.

The Belgian-style brasserie will be similar to the Bargersville location, but with a bigger menu and a different twist on some of the dishes, Huelsebusch said. One of the features will be a liege waffle popular in the southern part of Belgium.

“That will be a staple,” he said. “It’s a fun component. There’s really not anyone in the local market doing that.”

The restaurant and bar at 29 S. Main St. will total 10,000 square feet, with second-floor space available for private events.

No on-site brewing will occur in Fortville. Instead, Taxman will transport kegs and cans of beer from Bargersville. A variety of 16 draft beers will be available, most of them from the home brewery.

Taxman brews about 40 different beers a year.