Kyle Nabilcy
There are a few Midwestern cities of note that can’t help but fall under the easygoing shade of the swaying willow tree that is The South. St. Louis obviously comes to mind, its state having come into being in a fraught compromise between the northern and southern United States. Most of Illinois south of Peoria feels kind of southern. Even Des Moines has a bit of southern swelter to it, though that could just be the weather there in early spring.
And though its residents defend it as staunchly Midwestern, Indianapolis couldn’t help but give me some of that same southernish vibe when I made a short visit there this last weekend.
It’s neither here nor there, really. And when I look at how I spent my brief time in central Indiana, the experience was basically identical to the kinds of things I’d do in a place that rang as obviously Midwestern in my ears. I visited a brewery that felt like the love child of O’so and Ale Asylum, and I hit a little pubby burger and milkshake joint that would have been right at home on State Street.
I’ve been able to enjoy Sun King Brewing’s beer at both the Great Taste of the Midwest and the Great American Beer Festival in Denver, and my primary takeaway has been: Try the sours. The two big sour beers that Sun King produces are the raspberry and hibiscus-steeped Velour Soccer Mom and a series of fruited sours called Busey. Say Cherry Busey, if you ken.
The Sun King Brewery falls just outside of the area of Indianapolis’ downtown that feels recently remodeled. Sun King itself, however, is a snazzily decorated warehouse with outdoor seating and a big parking lot, and a brightly-lit interior with a video game station, a tasting table for sample-sized pours, and a long bar with plenty of tap handles.
I wasn’t particularly enamored of the hoppy offerings, though the Imperial Fistful of Hops did deliver on the double IPA experience better than the standard Fistful did for the single IPA class. 8, Sun King’s current beer in its ongoing birthday series, is a kettle-soured Berliner weisse with an unexpected (and unexplained) note of lime juice running through it. Traditional, it wasn’t, but if you’re game for that, it might grow on you. It was definitely starting to grow on me.
The deeply pink Velour Soccer Mom and purplish Boysenberry Busey, on the other hand, delivered on expectations. Both are modestly carbonated high acid sour ales, with plenty of fruit and a touch of funk. I grabbed a few of the full pint cans of Soccer Mom to bring home, and wished that either would be eligible for growler or crowler fills. (They are not.)
My wife and I noticed that all the staff working at Sun King seemed very eager to educate customers on beer in general, and Sun King beer in particular.
They’re doing good work, though, ultimately. Sun King just announced it's expanding its distribution to the Louisville and Chicago markets, leaving the state of Indiana for reasons other than festivals for the first time in Sun King’s history.
After our beers at Sun King, we walked over to ReBar Indy, a craft saloon of sorts, with a PourMyBeer draft system that allows for self-service. We didn’t partake, and just missed on the regular food menu’s late-night cutoff. A couple of slider-sized burgers, aggressively seasoned with salt and pepper, did the trick, though.
Speaking of sliders, maybe it’s the food chains that make me feel like I’m in the South in Indianapolis. There’s a Waffle House, and a whole bunch of White Castles. Those are novel for this lifelong upper Midwesterner, even if the beers made me feel perfectly at home.
