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FOOD & DRINK

Dinner-and-a-movie plus a brewery opening in Carmel

Amy Haneline
amy.haneline@indystar.com
Beer tanks overlook the bar and main entrance at Flix Brewhouse, the first brewery/theater combination, in Carmel on Sunday, April 26, 2015. The establishment has their grand opening in Carmel on Thursday, April 30, 2015 with the showing of Avengers. The full kitchen and brewhouse, along with eight theaters, has been showing old classics to introduce it to the public as well as help get the staff trained and up to full speed.

Flix Brewhouse won't be the first theater to mix movies with food and beer when it opens Thursday in Carmel. But it will be the first to brew that beer on site.

Patrons can see Avengers: Age of Ultron in the 38,000 square-foot theater and restaurant at Merchants' Square shopping center, 2206 E. 116th St. Or, they can dine without purchasing a movie ticket and get a front-row seat to the brewing system, visible through glass walls. At capacity, the space could serve up to 1,000 people at time.

The sleek, high-tech interior holds eight auditoriums with black leather chairs and interactive screens. The Flix movie process is explained in a video during previews: Find the menu on the pull-out table at your assigned seat. Write orders on the provided paper and place it on the ledge. Press a button to call a "service ninja," who will bring your selections.

"Once they experience what Flix is, it gets really hard to watch movie somewhere else," marketing director Greg Johnson said. "Especially if you love the beer."

Carmel is the third location for the Texas-based company. Head brewer Chris Knott — formerly with Scarlet Lane Brewing and The RAM — oversees the production of six core beers. Popular picks are the Luna Rosa Wit, 10 Day Scottish Ale and Flix Golden Ale. Knott will have some creative freedom to brew his own recipes. The bar also has guest taps and wine.

The menu includes hot buttered popcorn, but it doesn't stop there. Chef Gary Beauregard adds dishes that aren't normally found at a movie theater — ahi tuna poke, Vietnamese summer rolls, and smoked salmon flatbread.

But Flix is kid-friendly. "Kids under the age of 2 are not allowed," Johnson said, "but we really care about families…we once did 'butterbeer' for a showing of Harry Potter."

The theater has employed nearly 150 servers, runners and hosts, and is still hiring. Showtimes are posted online at flixbrewhouse.com. First-run movies are shown, but classic films are scheduled until more are released.

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