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Sun King Wins Big at 2025 U.S. Open Beer Championship

In case you missed it, Sun King Brewing won big at the U.S. Open Beer Championship again. The competition takes place annually in Oxford, OH and the results were announced in July. Sun King won Brewery of the Year in their category of brewing more than 15,000 barrels a year. They also finished second overall in the competition. They were previously named Grand National Champion in 2019 and 2022.

Congratulations are due to all of the Indiana breweries, on their eighteen medals, which are listed below.

You can find all of the results here.

Sun King Brewing – Indianapolis

  • Gold โ€“ Soul Shakedown Party – Rum Barrel-Aged Beer
  • Gold โ€“ Free Range Farmhouse Ale – Brett Beer
  • Silver โ€“ Sunlight Cream Ale โ€“ Golden or Blonde
  • Silver โ€“ Stupid Sexy Flander โ€“ Belgian Lambic
  • Silver โ€“ Diddy Muckle โ€“ Wood/Barrel-Aged Strong Scottish Ale
  • Bronze โ€“ Amalfi โ€“ Experimental Ale

Moontown Brewing โ€“ Whitestown

  • Gold โ€“ Skoolhouse Bock โ€“ German-Style Heller Bock/Maibock
  • Silver โ€“ Follow the Lederhosen โ€“ Marzen/Oktoberfest
  • Bronze Into the Void – Robust Porter
  • BronzeDirndl Dance – Marzen/Oktoberfest

Taxman Brewing Co. โ€“ Bargersville

  • Gold In the Black – Blended Barrel-Aged Beer
  • Gold Port Barrel Qualified – Wine Barrel-Aged Beer


Grand Junction Brewing – Westfield

  • Silver โ€“ Squirrel Stampede โ€“ English Brown Ale
  • Bronze Mulligan – Strong Scottish Ale

Flix Brewhouse โ€“ Carmel

  • Silver โ€“ Luna Rose โ€“ Fruit Wheat Beer – Raspberry
  • Bronze Kilt and Dagger – Scottish Ale

Field Brewing โ€“ Westfield

  • Silver โ€“ Dill Pickle โ€“ Herb & Spice Beer

Ledgeview Brewing โ€“ Warsaw

  • Silver โ€“ Blender Bender-Berry โ€“ Fruit Wheat Beer – Mixed

Pictured below is one of the gold medal winners:

Sun King Free Range Farmhouse Ale

ANCHORAGE BREWING – ANCHORAGE, AK

Any visit to Anchorage would not be complete without stopping by Anchorage Brewing. This year that happened to be three stops.

The taproom has a wood-fired oven which is used by Familia on Thursday through Saturday to prepare dinners. I was only able to partake of their delicious Sea Salt Chocolate Chip Cookies during my visits.

While there, Hoppy celebrated with the following brews:

Wolf Child Hazy Double IPA – Made with 100% Vic Secret hops. 8.4% ABV.

Star Dragon (2025) Hazy Quadruple IPA – Brewed and DDH with 100% Vic Secret hops. 11.4% ABV.

Some Kind of Something Double-Oaked Imperial Stout Blend – A variety of their favorite bourbon barrel-aged imperial stouts, blended and casked. 16% ABV.

Pictures from the visits follow:

Outdoor Seating
Draft Board
Wolf Child
Draft Board – Different Day
Some Kind of Something
Seating in Foeder
Outdoor Artwork
Outdoor Seating

MAGNETIC NORTH BREWING – ANCHORAGE, AK

Hoppy stopped by Magnetic North Brewing next. They opened on April 11th, 2020, at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic. At that time, they were only allowed to-go can sales because of municipal emergency mandates. They currently offer a rotating selection of seasonal brews.

Hoppy drank a Staple American IPA during the visit. It is described as almost a Double IPA. 7.3% ABV, 89 IBU.

Pictures follow:

Exterior
Draft Board
Magnetic North Beers Displayed on TV
Staple American IPA
Artwork

SHIP CREEK BREWING – ANCHORAGE, AK

Hoppy’s next stop was in Anchorage at Ship Creek Brewing. They opened their doors in January 2024.

Their pizza looks amazing, but they were sold out during the visit.

Hoppy quaffed a Ship Faced American IPA while there. It is described as a classic, tried and true American style IPA. Shipping off notes of grapefruit citrus and pine straight to your face. Characteristic bitterness true to style, will keep you lost in your glass and pining for more. 6.2% ABV, 50 IBU.

Pictures follow:

Exterior
Mural/Seating
Digital Draft List
Logo

BEARPAW RIVER BREWING – WASILLA, AK

Hoppy next visited Bearpaw River Brewing at their original location which opened in December 2015. This location is affectionately known as the “little bear”. They opened a second, and larger, location in downtown Wasilla in 2021. This tripled their brewing capacity and added wood-fired pizza to their menu.

While at the brewery, Hoppy imbibed a Humdinger Citrusy West Coast IPA. Described as having Mosaic hops take center stage, with notes of tangerine, grapefruit, & passion fruit. 6% ABV, 60 IBU.

Pictures from the visit follow:

Bar
Artwork
Draft Board/Taps
Humdinger IPA
Brewery
Bottle Cap Display
Ecological Partnership
Exterior

ODD MAN RUSH BREWING – EAGLE RIVER, AK

The next brewery stop in Alaska was at Odd Man Rush Brewing. They opened in September 2015. So where did the name come from? Per their website, “It’s one of the more obscure hockey terms. All the boys are former hockey players, and the term Odd Man Rush refers to that heart-pounding moment when you’ve got more players charging forward offensively than the other team has on defenseโ€”a golden opportunity to score. It’s those unexpected, gotta-seize-it-now moments that fuel our brewery and our beers.”

Hoppy enjoyed an Enforcer West Coast IPA during the visit. 6.8% ABV, 68 IBU.

Brew Pub
Exterior
Bar/Taps
Digital Draft List
Enforcer IPA
Brewery
Hop Lights
Brew Pub/Logo
Patrons on Rooftop Seating
Puck Display
Decor
State of Alaska Made from Alaskan License Plates
Sticker Door Includes Hoppy!

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