Location | Indianapolis, Indiana, US | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Opened | 2009 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Annual production volume | 18,000 US beer barrels (21,000 hL) (2012) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Owned by | Dave Colt Clay Robinson Omar Robinson Andy Fagg Steve Koers |
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Website | http://sunkingbrewing.com/ | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Sun King Brewing is a brewery in the Cole-Noble District of Indianapolis, Indiana, United States. It is the largest brewery in Indianapolis and the second largest brewery in the state. In 2011, Sun King won eight medals, including four gold medals, total at the Great American Beer Festival. Sun King was the first commercial brewery to open up in approximately 30 years in Indianapolis.
Sun King Brewing was founded in July, 2009 by Dave Colt and Clay Robinson. Robinson and Colt previously worked together at various brewpubs in Indianapolis. Colt worked at Circle V., which closed in 1999, and Robinson worked at Rock Bottom Brewery. They met while working at Ram Restaurant & Brewery. Robinson quit his job in July 2008 and started planning to start a business. They had three additional partners, including Robinson's father, Omar. Later that year, they acquired their current property in Downtown Indianapolis. They brewed their first batch of beer on July 1, 2009. The name Sun King was inspired by the sun and its importance in life cycles and beermaking.
In 2010, Sun King started packaging their beer in beer cans. They attended the Great American Beer Festival in 2011, and won eight medals, including four gold. By 2011, they were producing 5,000 barrels of beer. That year, Sun King replaced their 15-barrel system with a 30-barrel system. The tanks were made by Poynter Sheet Metal. They also started selling their beer outside of the metropolitan Indianapolis area, expanding to sell in Bloomington, Indiana. Sun King distributed approximately 50 miles outside of Indianapolis by 2012. The first time Sun King was shipped outside of Indiana was for the 2012 Great American Beer Festival.
Sun King produced 18,000 barrels of beer in 2012 with a revenue of $5 million. As of 2013, the brewery had produced 15,000 barrels of beer, with 35 full-time and 50 part-time employees. That same year, Sun King was named best Indiana beer by Nuvo Newsweekly readers. It was their fourth time in a row winning the title. The brewery announced that it will expand by 2016, investing $2.1 million in updated equipment and additional staff. An additional $3.9 million will be spent on expanding the brewery facility, making room for 240 fermentation tanks. These investments are in lieu of tax credits offered to the brewery and approved by the Indiana Economy Development Corporation. It has been voted one of the best small workplaces in Indiana by the Indianapolis Star.