Sun King Opens Up Distribution in Northern Indiana

Sun King Brewery announced today that it will now distribute to the entire state of Indiana. Antiquated laws previously forced the brewery to keep their production below 30,000 per year, but new legislation recently passed to allow that number to increase to 90,000. Sun King plans to use the increased barrelage to service four of the largest cities in Indiana: Gary, Hammond, South Bend and Fort Wayne.

Here is the release from Sun King:

Indianapolis (March 16, 2016) - Beginning this month, Sun King Brewery, Indianapolis' largest beer brewer, will expand the distribution of its Fresh•Local•Beerthrough Indiana Beverage, one of Indiana's largest distributors of beer and wine, to 24 counties across northern Indiana, including four of the state's biggest cities: South Bend, Fort Wayne, Hammond and Gary. With this announcement, Sun King beer will be available throughout the entire state of Indiana for the first time in the brewery's history.

Sun King was forced to curtail distribution in northern Indiana at the end of 2014 because of an Indiana law that restricted production by small breweries to 30,000 barrels per year. But thanks to the passage of Senate Bill 297, which went into effect on July 1, 2015, small breweries like Sun King can now produce 90,000 barrels per year, providing more beer to beer fans across the state and hiring more Hoosiers. Since the passage of the new law, Sun King has been undergoing development efforts that include a new canning line and expanding their downtown Indianapolis brewery so that it can house new fermentation tanks that will nearly double the brewery's production.

As a result of the lobbying efforts and brewery expansion, northern Indiana beer lovers will once again be able to find Sun King's Fresh•Local•Beer in 16-ounce cans and on tap at more than 200 bars, restaurants and liquor stores throughout northern Indiana in the following counties: Adams, Allen, Benton, De Kalb, Elkhart, Fulton, Grant, Huntington, Jasper, Kosciusko, LaGrange, Lake, LaPorte, Marshall, Newton, Noble, Porter, Pulaski, Saint Joseph, Starke, Steuben, Wabash, Wells and Whitley.

"Seven years ago, when we filled our first keg, we hoped to one day be able to deliver Sun King's Fresh•Local•Beer to all of Indiana, and now that day has come," said Clay Robinson, co-founder of Sun King Brewery. "We are excited to work with Indiana Beverage in order to get our beer into the hands of the great people in northern Indiana, and we're looking forward to celebrating our statewide distribution with them."

On Friday, March 25, Sun King and Indiana Beverage will host Sun King Day "tap takeovers" in Northern Indiana locations with a portion of proceeds going to local charitable organizations. A few of these "tap takeovers" will be at Ted's Market in Fort Wayne benefitting Community Harvest Food Bank; Wings Etc. in Osceola benefitting the Center for the Homeless; and the Craft House in Valparaiso benefitting the Food Bank of Northwest Indiana, among others. Sun King's "tap takeovers" will feature a special tapping, beer sampling, food pairings and promotions on Sun King's core beers: Sunlight, Wee Mac, Osiris and Fistful of Hops; as well as seasonal beers and rare selections from the Sun King Brewery King's Reserve series including Rainbow Blindness, 5 Minute Holiday, Mr. Timmie's Opus, Afternoon Delight, Hot Rod Lincoln and Whip Fight.

"We are extremely excited to have been selected by Sun King as a distribution partner," said Jung Lee, brand manager at Indiana Beverage. "We look forward to working with Sun King and its award-winning beer in northern Indiana and celebrating their statewide distribution."