The Super Bowl and Craft Beer: An Unofficial Guide for Football Fans Going to Indianapolis
Super Bowl means tailgating and, at least here at Road Trips for Beer, tailgating means some tasty local brews in the cooler. However, because Indianapolis hosts Super Bowl XLVI this year, fans partying pre-game outside Lucas Oil Stadium, in hotel rooms or in local homes on February 5 should be aware of something important.
You cannot buy beer to go on Sundays in Indiana – with one exception.
Under state law, grocery stores, liquor stores and the like have to put the chains on the beer coolers every Sunday. Restaurants and such are allowed to sell beer and liquor for on-premise consumption. There are currently bills in the state Legislature to change this, but without going into great detail, it is unlikely to happen before 2013.
However, anyone seeking to stock up – or restock – brews to watch the New England Patriots battle the New York Giants has another option on game day.
Indiana production breweries are allowed to sell bottles and growlers of beer to go on Sundays – and there are plenty to choose from within a short distance of Lucas Oil Stadium. Reportedly they are stocking up for an expected boost in business.
Here’s a list of the craft breweries in town and beyond where you can buy beer to go on Super Bowl Sunday (click on the brewery name to visit its website):
DOWNTOWN INDIANAPOLIS
These are the local breweries closest to the Super Bowl site.
414 N Dorman St.
(317) 635-2337
Opened extended hours for Super Bowl Week. Open noon to 4 p.m. on Super Bowl Sunday.
135 N. College Ave.
(317) 602-3702
Sun King normally closes on Sundays, but it will be open from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Super Bowl Sunday.
Rock Bottom Restaurant and Brewery
10 W. Washington St.
(317) 381-8180
Sunday hours noon to midnight.
140 S. Illinois St.
(317) 955-9900
Sunday hours, 11 a.m. to close.
1301 Barth Ave.
(317) 4931410
Extended hours during Super Bowl Week. Open noon to 11 p.m. on Super Bowl Sunday.
Note: The above venues will be easily accessible via a fleet of five free shuttle buses being sponsored by Monarch Beverage and World Class Beer in Indiana, part of a campaign that includes social media to promote Indiana craft beer. You can read more about it here.
Look for this banner on the side of the shuttle buses.
STILL PRETTY CLOSE
842 E. 65th St.
(317) 253-2739
Sunday hours noon to 10 p.m.
1021 Broad Ripple Ave., Indianapolis.
(317) 255-5151
Sunday hours 11 a.m. to 10 p.m.
A LITTLE FARTHER
639 Conner St., Noblesville
(317) 770-5280
Sunday hours noon to midnight
50 N. Airport Parkway, Suite L, Greenwood
(317) 887-2287
Sunday hours 11 a.m. to 10 p.m.
5764 Wheeler Road, Indianapolis
(317) 735-2706
Sunday hours 1 to 9 p.m.
5133 East 65th Street, Indianapolis
317-253-2437
Sunday hours noon to 4 p.m.
Rock Bottom Restaurant & Brewery (College Park)
2801 Lake Circle Drive, Indianapolis
(317) 471-8840
Sunday hours: 11:30 a.m. to closing.
WITHIN AN HOUR’S DRIVE OR SO
322 Fourth St., Columbus
(812) 375-8800
Sunday hours 4 to 11 p.m.
1795 E 10th St, Bloomington.
(812) 323-2112
Sunday hours 11 a.m. to 11 p.m.
60 Molly Lane, Nashville, Indiana.
(812) 988-6000
Sunday hours 11:30 a.m. to 9 p.m.
622 Main St., Lafayette.
(765) 742-2591
Sunday hours noon to 8 p.m.
2006 N. Ninth St. Road, Lafayette
(765) 714-2777
Sunday hours noon to 5 p.m.
Half Moon Restaurant & Brewing
4051 S. Lafountain St., Kokomo
(765) 455-2739
Sunday hours 11 a.m. to closing.
MAKE IT A ROAD TRIP
You may want to plan your pre- or post-Game Day itinerary to make the rounds of these other fine Indiana craft breweries and brewpubs that are a few hours’ drive from Indy.
(Two locations in New Albany)
415 Bank St.
(812) 725-9585
3312 Plaza Drive
(812) 944-2577
2002 Broadway, Fort Wayne
(260) 426-2537
9750 Indiana Parkway, Munster
(219) 922-4425
155 W. Lincolnway, Valparaiso
(219) 477-2000
308 Perry St., LaPorte
(219) 362-7623
ShoreLine Brewery & Restaurant
208 Wabash St., Michigan City
(219) 879-4677
710 Fellows St., South Bend
(574) 387-5772
Turoni’s Main Street Pizzery and Brewery
408 N. Main St., Evansville
(812) 424-9871
All of the information above is as accurate as posted on the brewery websites at the time of this writing.
This listing is not inclusive, but we tried to list the craft breweries that are both open to the public and that sell beer to go on Sunday. If you’re looking for a more exhaustive list, we recommend that you purchase a copy of “Indiana Breweries” by John Holl and Nate Schweber. (Read our review of the book here) .
Also of note
Lucas Oil Stadium
Beer from Upland Brewing Co. in Bloomington is ordinarily available on tap during games inside Lucas Oil Stadium, but it’s reportedly been pulled out for the Super Bowl (Hint: Clydesdales and sponsorship). I exchanged a few tweets with Upland, and they are working on having some of their bottles available inside the stadium. Their success remains uncertain as of this writing. Upland does have a tasting room in Indy at 4842 N. College Ave.; however, because the beer isn’t brewed there, carry-out on Sunday is not available.
Here are links to some other stories and resources for your Super Bowl 46 craft beer experience in Indianapolis:
- IndianapolisSuperBowl.com
- Girls’ Pint Out: “5 Unique Craft Beer Spots for Super Bowl Visitors,” “5 Beer Themed Treats to Take Home from Super Bowl XLVI,” and “5 Indianapolis Craft Beers for Super Bowl Visitors.”
- Hoosier Beer Geek: “A Beer Weekend in Indianapolis.”
- Broad Ripple Super Fest
- Brewers of Indiana Guild
- IndianaBeer.com (beer map)
Acknowledgements
This article would not have been possible without the help of Tamre Mullins, writer for Girls’ Pint Out, and Bob Mack , web and social media developer for World Class Beer in Indiana. Both are Indy residents with extensive knowledge of the state’s craft beer scene. Big props for their help.
There’s just a small error in your list, not a big deal, but hopefully an easy fix. Thr3e Wise Men is located in the same neighborhood as Broad Ripple Brewpub (i.e. the neighborhood of Broad Ripple). In fact, it’s just few blocks south of Brewpub, so it’s technically even closer to downtown. It should definitely be added to the Still Pretty Close category! Thanks!
Thanks, Mary. It’s been adjusted.
People driving into Indy from the west in I-70 can get off at the Plainfield exit and get growlers from Black Swan Brew Pub. It’s just a few miles west of the Indpls Airport. http://blackswanbrewpub.com/index.html
Thanks for the tip!