Have Another

The Mad Tap Opens on Madison Street

Writer / Julie Yates
Photography Provided

Two sisters local to Tipton, Mindy Mason and Andrea Richter, recognized a need in Tipton for a family-friendly place to gather, eat, drink and listen to live music. With the perfect location and building, they embarked on a journey to build exactly that, while also contributing to Tipton’s downtown revitalization efforts.

The eatery not only offers a unique self-serve beer wall concept, but it also serves up smoked meats and cocktails. It seems as though it’s the place to be right now, both for locals and people from surrounding areas.

“People love the wings, spicy meatballs and brisket,” Mason says. “We also offer pulled chicken and pork, bratwurst, a wagyu hotdog, and sliders. A kid’s menu and a vegan option are also available. Sides include favorites such as beer mac and cheese, baked beans and coleslaw. Desserts are hand picked by our cook and are on rotation.”

“It’s been busy, especially on the weekends,” she adds. “In the summer there will be more seating outdoors. We also plan to have live music on the weekends. Tipton and the surrounding counties are full of talented musicians. We host open-mic night on Tuesdays and trivia on Wednesdays.”

“Andrea and I like to have a project,” Mason says. “This building went up for sale and magically we got it. We saw the beer wall concept in Madison, Indiana, and loved it. Our cook, Jeremy, prepares the meat on our meat monster smoker. He makes all the sauces including the best blue cheese dressing I’ve ever had.”

When patrons come in, they are issued a card for the self-serve beer wall. Linked to their credit card, it also keeps a tab on food or cocktails purchased. At the end of their visit, customers use the card to check out.

A “beer wench” on duty assists card scanning for the 20-tap wall of IPAs, wheats, porters, ciders, seltzers, stouts, ales, domestic beers and more. There will always be a cider from Ash & Elm Cider Company in Indianapolis, and the house IPA, Mad Hatter, is a crowd pleaser.

The Mad Tap staff enjoy choosing a variety of offerings, not only from Indiana-based breweries, but also from around the U.S. and across the pond.

The beers rotate, almost weekly, although there will always be the community-favorite domestics on tap. Even regular visitors can find new-to-them craft brews to try at every visit.

As a nod to the Madison Street location, the names of the cocktails keep up with the theme. Mason shares that the Mad Fashion is delicious due to the special cherries used along with a simple syrup. She feels the Madtini, made with vodka, triple sec, lime and cranberry juice, is akin to a craft cosmopolitan. The Mad Men and Mad Women are very popular, made from flavored rum and a combination of fruit juices and liquors.

“This is one of the very oldest buildings in Tipton,” Mason says. “Getting it was a happy mistake. Each permit and license we got was a big deal, and marked a milestone. We were delayed several months before our building permit was approved. Nothing was easily earned but a lesson learned. We are so grateful for the opportunity to be able to open the Mad Tap as part of our community.”

Visit the themadtap.com for more info, and view them on Facebook and Instagram.