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The 9 Best Breweries to Visit in Indianapolis, Indiana
The best beer spots at the Crossroads of America.
Photography courtesy of Sun King Brewery
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Updated on April 28, 2025
Indiana! The birthplace of Larry Bird, the boyhood home of Abraham Lincoln, the setting of the iconic movie Hoosiers, the birthplace of curiously oversized breaded pork tenderloin, and the site where cars race really fast around a track. In recent years, it has become an increasingly popular craft beer destination, particularly in its capital city of Indianapolis.
This week, we travel to the Circle City for the 2025 Craft Brewers Conference, so you can bet we’re looking up everywhere we want to grab a beer.
According to the Brewers Association, as of 2023, Indiana ranks 17th, with 204 breweries inside its borders. At its center lies Indianapolis, the Crossroads of America and the intersection of outstanding craft breweries. From a 133-medal-winning brewery to one making picture-perfect pilsners, these places give us enough reason to give Indianapolis a pin on our map.
Here are our picks for the nine best breweries in Indianapolis, Indiana.
Hop Culture’s Best Breweries to Visit in Indianapolis, IN
Sun King Brewery
135 N. College Ave., Indianapolis, IN 46202 | (317) 602-3702
Photography courtesy of Sun King Brewery
You can’t make a list of the best breweries to visit in Indianapolis without mentioning the OG, Sun King Brewery. When Dave Colt, Clay Robinson, and Andy Fagg rolled the first kegs of beer out the door in July 2009, Sun King became the first full-scale production brewery in the city since Indianapolis Brewing Company closed in 1948.
Now the city’s largest brewery (and the second-largest in the state), Sun King crafts beers that have been nationally recognized at the Great American Beer Festival (GABF), the World Beer Cup (WBC), the U.S. Open Beer Championship, and the Festival of Wood & Barrel-Aged Beers—fifty in total, including 2019 and 2022 Grand National Champion at the U.S. Open Beer Championship, to name just a couple. Actually, the brewery ranks among the top five breweries in the world for the most medals won at both the GABF and WBC.
With seven locations across Indiana and Florida, including recently breaking ground on a new location at Union Square in Westfield, IN, Sun King has paved the way for brewing in Indiana.
This award-winning brewery deserves the top spot on our list. Go pay homage with something funky like the Buffalo Slumber, a bourbon barrel-aged Belgian-style tripel that won gold at the 2024 U.S. Open Beer Championship, or a staple such as the Wee Mac Scottish-Style Ale or Sunlight Cream Ale (if you don’t know what a cream ale is this story will help).
Guggman Haus Brewing Co.
1701 Gent Ave, Indianapolis, IN 46202 | (317) 602-6131
Ranked as the fifth highest-rated brewery in all of Indiana, Guggman Haus boasts an impressive 4.08 rating on Untappd, the world’s largest social media platform for craft beer enthusiasts. With almost 82K ratings and 478 beers, Guggman Haus has become a local favorite just northwest of downtown Indianapolis.
A family affair, Guggman Haus is owned and operated by twin sisters, Courtney Guggenberger and Abby Gorman, and their husbands.
Combining the Guggenbergers’ time in Germany with the Gormans’ love of Colorado, the brewery is a true collaboration of the sisters’ passion for beer and adventure. It’s even in the name. Guggman…get it?
When you visit, we recommend the popular Guggenweizen, a 2019 Indiana Brewers Cup gold-medal winner, or the Winner’s Milk Jug, a milk stout that pays homage to the tradition of winners chugging milk at the finish line of the Indianapolis 500.
Deviate Brewing
4004 W 96th St, Indianapolis, IN 46268 | (317) 374-8249
With a motto like “Deviate from the norm,” Deviate Brewing has wowed people with beers that follow that extra mantra, zigging where others zag. To give you a taste, the tap list currently features a blueberry and vanilla ale, a nitro coffee blonde ale, a Neapolitan imperial stout, and a barrel-aged marshmallow imperial stout, among others.
Deviate’s Co-Founders Mike Orkey and Greg Ortwein fell in love with Belgian beer first, but when it came time to open their own place in 2015, they took a look at the market and realized they needed something a little crazier. The friend’s fearless approach to brewing has helped propel the Indianapolis-based brewery to Untappd’s ninth highest rating in the state (4.01).
Championing 93.5K ratings from 254 beers over its decade-long history, Deviate’s kooky attitude has earned it a place as one of Indianapolis’ best breweries.
Bier Brewery
5133 E. 65th St., Indianapolis, IN 46220 | (317) 253-2437
Photography courtesy of Bier Brewery
A word you’ll hear a lot on this list: award-winning. The trend continues at Bier Brewery, a standout in a not-so-stand-out strip mall. Focusing on ‘bier’—i.e., Belgian dubbels, German hefeweizens, and traditional ESBs—Bier Brewery has racked up over 133 medals in state, national, and international competitions. This brewery crafts precise, pinpoint versions of typically European-style beers, with a few hazy and American pale ales thrown in for fun.
Chilly Water Brewing Company
719 Virginia Ave #105, Indianapolis, IN 46203 | (317) 964-0518
Photography courtesy of Chilly Water Brewing Company
Another award-winning brewery, Chilly Water Brewing Company started when co-owner Dan Krzywicki showed up to The Alcatraz Brewing Co. on a bike and professed that he was ready to take his homebrewing hobby to the next level. After a stint at The Alcatraz and at Fountain Square Brewing Co. (see below), Krzywicki opened up his own spot with partners Matt Chandler and Skip DuVall.
Winner of Indiana State Fair Brewers Cup Best in Show, Indiana Brewery of the Year, and Grand Champion Brewery of the Year, Chilly Water has some serious cred to back up its beers. Add Krzywicki’s knack for knocking out pilsners, and we have a real gem on our hands.
With that in mind, don’t miss Chilly Water’s Built to Last pilsner. For the hoppy at heart, try One Hop Wonder. Bonus: This brewery also offers shareable delights, such as the Loaded Fries, featuring queso, bacon, Secret Sauce, Baja crema, and green onions, or the Pretzel Bites, paired with spicy beer mustard and queso.
Fountain Square Brew Co.
1301 Barth Ave, Indianapolis, IN 46203 | (463) 274-3763
Photography courtesy of Fountain Square Brew Co.
As we began compiling this list, a theme emerged: The major breweries in Indianapolis appear to be interconnected. For instance, Dan Krzywicki, co-owner at Chilly Water, began his career under Skip DuVall at The Alcatraz (Skip later joined Dan as a partner at Chilly Water) before working at Fountain Square Brew Co.
As Fountain proclaims on their website, “Every town has a fountain square. A place to gather and connect. To birth memories. A beacon of unity and inclusion.”
Toast to connection with Fountain’s flagship Workingman’s Pilsner, a Bohemian-style pilsner with Noble hops; Preacher’s Daughter Amber Ale, an American amber ale; and Backyard Porter, a traditional English version of the style. All are excellent representations of non-fussy, down-home beer styles emblematic of one of Indianapolis’ best breweries.
Kismetic Beer Company
201 S Rural St Suite #110, Indianapolis, IN 46201
With the mantra to “approach brewing with a humble heart and a Midwest attitude,” Kismetic Beer Company focuses on lower-ABV and lager styles.
Which is probably a significant reason why they’ve earned a spot just outside the top ten highest-rated breweries in Indiana, according to Untappd.
Opened in 2022 by Nicole and Ryan Oesch, Kismetic may be a bit newer on the scene, but they’ve quickly gained a loyal following with simply named beers like Italian Pilsner, Schwarzbier, and Japanese Rice Lager.
With All About Beer Editor John Holl calling Kismetic “a can’t-miss when you visit Indianapolis,” during a recent podcast, we feel confident that Kismetic should be at the top of any “best breweries in Indianapolis” list.
Metazoa Brewing Co.
140 S College Ave, Indianapolis, IN 46202 | (317) 522-0251
A 2021 Great American Beer Festival Brewery Group of the Year winner, Metazoa Brewing Co. has a unique business model. Since opening its doors, this Indianapolis-based brewery has donated five percent of all its profits to animal and wildlife organizations.
With a guiding principle of giving back, Metazoa has become the beating heart of downtown Indianapolis’ breweries.
As an animal and beer lover, Metazoa Founder Dave Worthington has found a way to satisfy both his passions in one place.
Almost all of the beer names have playful animal associations, from the 2021 GABF-gold-winning Trash Panda to the 2023 Indiana Brewers Cup gold-medal-winning Mortal Wombat. And if you do go, the 2019 U.S. Open bronze-medal-winning peanut butter milk stout called Puppy Slumber Party is a must-try. Who doesn’t love a puppy slumber party?
This is a feel-good brewery with top-notch beers. Honestly, it’s a win-win.
Daredevil Brewing Co.
1151 N Main St, Indianapolis, IN 46224 | (317) 210-0176
We’ve mentioned a lot of breweries on this list that are known for their lagers, but this one might top them all. Located in the Speedway neighborhood, Daredevil Brewing Co. has an extensive and comprehensive German-style lager program, inspired by the three co-founders’ time drinking beer in Germany.
Started in 2013 by Shane Pearson and his twin brother, Michael Pearson, along with their friend Bill Ballenger, Daredevil has always taken risks. After winning pretty much every homebrewing award in the state, Michael and Ballenger took the next risk, opening Daredevil.
For over ten years, Daredevil has captivated fans with its dedication to European-style ales and lagers. Don’t miss the maibock, kellerbier, kölsch, long list of radler and shandy-inspired blends, or the Berliner weiss, which just earned the accolade of the top-ranked sour in Indiana during the Untappd Community Awards.
Plus, guess what? They have a top-notch thin-crust tavern and East Coast-style pizza program. It’s the best of both worlds at Daredevil. You can’t leave Indiana without trying this beer and this brewery.
About The Author
Grace Lee-Weitz
Currently Drinking:
Fort Point Beer Co. KSA
Grace is the Senior Content Editor for Hop Culture and Untappd. She also organizes and produces the largest weeklong women, femme-identifying, and non-binary folx in craft beer festival in the country, Beers With(out) Beards, and the first-ever festival celebrating the colorful, vibrant voices in the queer community in craft beer, Queer Beer. An avid craft beer nerd Grace always found a way to work with beer. After graduating with a journalism degree from Northwestern University, she attended culinary school before working in restaurant management. She moonlighted as a brand ambassador at 3 Sheeps Brewing Co. on the weekends before moving into the beer industry full-time as an account coordinator at 5 Rabbit Cerveceria. Grace holds her Masters degree in the Food Studies program at NYU.
