30 Over 30: Ale Emporium serves wings, pizza and community
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If you're talking Indy wings, you've gotta be talking about Ale. Photo: Justin L. Mack/Axios
Welcome back to Axios Indianapolis' "30 Over 30," a series celebrating the icons that have shaped our city for 30 years or more.
In my two-plus decades of Central Indiana living, I've heard hours of debate over who has Indy's best breaded tenderloin.
- But when I start talking wings, one of the quickest and most consistent answers I receive has been holding it down in Castleton for the past 44 years.
Why it matters: Ale Emporium has grown from one neighborhood sports bar into a four-location local brand without losing the family-run feel that helped make it a Circle City staple.
Flashback: Marc Luros and his partners opened the original Ale Emporium at 86th Street and Allisonville Road in 1982.
- Herman Perryman joined in the late 1980s, eventually becoming kitchen manager, while Luros' daughter Shannon and son-in-law Scott Baun joined the business in the 1990s.
- After 36 years with one location, Ale expanded to Fishers in 2018 and Greenwood in 2019.
- Its fourth location opened in Avon this March, bringing the brand west after customers told the owners they were driving across Indianapolis for the award-winning wings and "Honest Pizza."
Zoom in: About those wings. The legend began with Perryman experimenting with sauces after work. Customers would see him eating his creations at the bar, ask what he was having, and get a sample.
- Eventually, demand forced the owners to write down the recipe.
- "He came up with a 'Herman' sauce as like the core secret sauce," marketing representative and chicken-wing hype man Brett Glaze tells Axios. "From there he created three variations: the Hermanaki, the Hermazian and Hermaican."
💠Justin's thought bubble: While enjoying a plate of wings at Ale, don't sleep on the ranch dressing, made in-house with a bit of Parmesan cheese and other secret ingredients.
Between the lines: Glaze says the secret to their staying power isn't really a secret.
- "You've got to have a quality product. You've got to reinvest in your business. And you've got to take care of your staff," he says, noting that some Ale bartenders and servers have been there for 20 or 30 years.
- The Ale has also long paired sports with live music and community events. During the 2025 Pacers finals run, the Castleton restaurant was standing-room only with tables filling hours before games.
- In December 2025, Ale also took its wings to the national stage with a Hermanaki Wing Eating Championship at Big Ten Fan Fest.
Plus: The family has backed local schools, youth sports and other charities over the years.
- Glaze points to a $30,000 donation to Gleaners Food Bank as SNAP benefits were being squeezed, plus support for Riley Hospital for Children and other local causes.
If you go: 8617 Allisonville Road.
- 11am-midnight Monday-Thursday; 11am-1am Friday-Saturday; and 11am-11pm Sunday.