Drink local. Indy craft brew challenge gets a refresh. Sun King unveiling new brew

Cheryl V. Jackson, Indianapolis Star
·3 min read

Indy craft beverage lovers, take note.

Visit Indy is refreshing its promotion of local craft beermakers, revamping the list to include a more diverse lineup of beverage makers and to make it easier to earn prizes.

The tweaked promotion, called Craft Pass 2.0., goes live March 9. People using the current Indy Craft Pass system have until March 8 to complete the challenges.

The mobile passport, which launched in 2019, encourages patronage of craft beverage creators.

Visit Indy launces a revamped Craft Pass promotion on March 9, 2023. A stein is one of the prizes.
Visit Indy launces a revamped Craft Pass promotion on March 9, 2023. A stein is one of the prizes.

Tasters using mobile phones check in at participating breweries, distilleries, and craft beverage producers to garner points that can be redeemed for prizes, including stickers, t-shirts, insulated koozies and a beer stein. (Prizes can be picked up at Sun King Brewing Downtown or Sun King Brewing Carmel.)

With the program, Visit Indy sought to capitalize on beer tourism. Indy was named the #3 beer city in the United States by USA Today in 2022, following Grand Rapids, Michigan, and Madison, Wisconsin.

But with the shuttering of some breweries, it added distilleries and wineries to the mix.

In the early version, guests could only use points after they’d visited at least eight breweries. The new system allows guests to begin redeeming after a single visit to a brewery gets them 100 points; the amount needed for a sticker.

Indy Craft Pass launch includes new Sun King brew, Indy Pale Ale

A 6 p.m. March 9 meetup at Sun King Brewing, 135 N. College Ave., in downtown Indianapolis will kick off the updated promotion.

Celebrants will get a taste of a new Indy-centric beer, Indy Pale Ale, brewed by Sun King, this spring.

The brew will launch in May, but attendees of the meetup can help select the can art.

Registration is at eventbrite.com.

Pre-registration for Craft Pass 2.0 is open at visitindy.com. Pre-registrants are entered to win a prize package that includes gift cards to six participating locations.

About 40 sites are participating in the new Craft Pass promotion. That’s up from about 30 in 2021, said Nate Swick, senior communications manager at Visit Indy, the marketing arm of the city of Indianapolis.

Craft Pass 2.0 participants include:

  • Bier Brewery and Taproom

  • Bier Brewery North

  • Big Woods, Fashion Mall

  • Big Woods, Franklin

  • Big Woods, Noblesville

  • Big Woods, Pizza at Edinburgh Premium Outlets

  • Big Woods, Pizza Nashville

  • Big Woods, Speedway

  • Buck Creek Winery

  • Centerpoint Brewing Co.

  • Chilly Water Brewing

  • Daniel's Family Vineyard & Winery

  • Easley Winery

  • Four Day Ray Brewing

  • Goodwood Indy

  • Grand Junction Brewing Co.

  • Guggman Haus Brewing Co.

  • Hard Truth at Bottleworks

  • Hard Truth Restaurant

  • Hotel Tango Distillery

  • Kismetic Beer Co.

  • North High Brewing, Zionsville

  • Metazoa Brewing Co.

  • St. Joseph Brewery & Public House

  • Sun King Brewery

  • Sun King Fishers Tap Room & Brewery

  • Sun King Spirits

  • Taxman Bargersville - Gastropub + Brewery

  • Taxman CityWay - Gastropub + Beergarden

  • Taxman Fortville - Brasserie + Taproom

  • Tomlinson Tap Room

  • Triton Brewing Co.

  • Upland Brewing - College Avenue

  • Upland Brewing Co. - Fountain Square

  • Upland Carmel Tap House

  • West Fork Whiskey Co.

Contact IndyStar reporter Cheryl V. Jackson at cheryl.jackson@indystar.com or 317-444-6264. Follow her on Twitter:@cherylvjackson.

This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Drink local. Visit Indy revises craft beverage incentives