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“Commited to handcrafted seasonal & specialty beers”
The brewery is the brain child of Dave Colt and Clay Robinson, who first met when Clay was a student at Wabash College and Dave was the bar manager and assistant brewer at the now-defunct Circle V Brewing Co. on the far north side of Indianapolis. They became friends a few years later when Clay began brewing at Rock Bottom in downtown Indianapolis. By that time, Dave was working at The RAM downtown as an assistant to head brewer John “Johan” Hanley, and he and Clay often got together at the end of the week to enjoy beers and talk about life and the art of brewing.In 2002, Clay was offered a transfer to Denver with Rock Bottom but he declined and recommended Hanley for the position instead. Hanley took the job and Dave became the head brewer at The RAM, while Clay left Rock Bottom and began what would become a three-year sabbatical from commercial brewing. Clay filled that time with travel, odd jobs and the production of BeerJuggs, a home brewing instructional video. The sabbatical came to an end when Dave called Clay looking for the phone number of a mutual friend and fellow brewer. Clay asked why and Dave said that he needed an assistant; a few days later Clay was hired on as the assistant brewer at The RAM.Over the next three years, Dave and Clay spent an average of 50 hours a week together in a cramped brewery cranking out as many seasonal beers as possible while keeping up with an extensive line up of house beers. The duo racked up three Great American Beer Festival medals., two Festival of Barrel Aged Beer medals, dozens of Indiana Brewer’s Cup medals, as well as being named the 2007 Indiana Brewery of the Year.Sun King Brewing Co. began to take shape during this time, when Dave and Clay spent long hours brewing, scrubbing and polishing copper while discussing what they would do if they had the opportunity to open their own brewery. Clay left the Ram in July of 2008, cashed in his savings and holed up to write a business plan for Sun King Brewing Co. He enlisted the help and consultation of his father, Omar, who has more than 40 years of experience in food distribution, logistics, and sales. The two of them got to work revising the business plan and poring over budgets while consulting with attorney Steve Koers, a longtime fan of who Dave and Clay’s beers.When the plan was finished, Omar and Clay approached one of Dave’s long time friends, Andy Fagg, who used to frequent Circle V all those years ago. Andy had already discussed the idea with Dave but once he saw the plan he signed on as a partner and started organizing a group of investors. In July 2009, the first keg of beer rolled out the door for delivery, making Sun King the first full scale production brewery in Indy since Indianapolis Brewing Company closed its doors in 1948. Now available on tap and in cans at hundreds of locations around central Indiana, Sun King has grown into the third-largest beer brewer in the state of Indiana. The company’s commitment to handcrafted seasonal and specialty beers has been rewarded with multiple medals at the Indiana Brewers Cup, Great American Beer Festival, and World Beer Cup competitions.
This is an awesome spot to check out if you're looking for a drink in Indy! They have a fantastic collection of beers and cocktails and boozy slushes! I love the spectrum of beers from heavy... Read more
Sun King Brewery I have been wanting to try for a very, very long time. With some struggle (it's a long story) the opportunity finally reached fruition and Steve and I finally got the chance to... Read more
I'm certainly not a big beer guy, but some of my friends are and I like to hang out with them so I have found myself at Sun King a few times recently. I'm definitely giving things a try, and... Read more
Sun King Brewery
Hours
- Sun: 12:00 pm - 6:00 pm
- Mon - Thu: 11:00 am - 9:00 pm
- Fri, Sat: 11:00 am - 10:00 pm
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Parking
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Pets Allowed
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Restrooms
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Wifi
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Wheelchair Accessible
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Credit Cards Accepted
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Dine In
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Drive Through
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