Upland

In a nondescript white warehouse on Bloomington’s west side, a local craft brewery is primed to make leaps into a bigger market.

“We have the ability to triple, or more, what we do here,” Caleb Staton said.
Staton is head brewer at Upland Brewing Co., which recently shifted most of its craft beer production from the Bloomington Brew Pub on West 11th Street to the white warehouse. Upland has been a Bloomington staple since 1998.

While locals might be familiar with brews like Upland Wheat Ale and Dragonfly IPA, on tap at restaurants and bars from Nick’s English Hut to Kilroy’s Bar & Grill, it’s the specialty barrel-aged beer that garnered the brewery two Brewer’s Cups at the Indiana State Fair.

Those beers, Staton said, will continue to be produced at the Brew Pub. And while the new facility will give the brewery room to grow, Staton said Indianapolis and Bloomington remain its biggest markets for now.

“Support in Bloomington is very healthy,” Staton said.

He said he occasionally gets shipping requests from graduates who have moved farther afield.

Although some beers, such as Upland’s Oktoberfest Lager, are available seasonally (grab that one this week), others like Bad Elmer’s Porter can be found on shelves year-round.

Upland enthusiasts can look forward to the release of Double Dragonfly Imperial IPA and Teddy Bear Kisses stout, available the last week of September, and the new Fresh Hopped Harvest Ale, which is set for an Oct. 1 release.

By Claire Wiseman