Sun King takes top honors at 2022 U.S. Open Beer Championship

INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — An Indianapolis-based brewery took home top honors at the U.S. Open Beer Championship in Oxford, Ohio.

Sun King Brewing Co. earned the title of Grand National Champion, which goes to the brewery with the most winning entries. Sun King collected 10 medals in all — five gold, two silver, and three bronze.

Breweries from across the country, along with gold-medal-winning beers from the 2021 American Homebrew Association’s national competition, sent in more than 9,000 beers in over 150 styles to be judged, says Dave Colt, Sun King co-founder and head brewer.

“It’s a double-blind competition. So you send beer in. Then each beer gets this little number to it. Then you get poured into samples. Those samples go to the judges so they never see any product other than just a clear glass with beer in it,” Colt says.

Colt says there are a few things that make Sun King’s brews so popular, both with judges and with regular beer drinkers.

“I think that our beers are always eminently quaffable and we just have this nice flavor and nuance of characters in there,” Colt said. “We released over 50 beers a year. So we try to hit everybody’s palate.”

Sun King Brewery’s medals at the U.S. Open Beer Championship:

• GOLD: Barrel Aged Churrolicious | Barrel Aged Dark Beer category
• GOLD: Cherry Busey | Belgian Style Fruit Beer category
• GOLD: Golden Girls | Barrel Aged Fruit Sour category
• GOLD: Sunlight Cream Ale | Golden or Blonde Ale category
• GOLD: Triptonic | Belgian Tripel category
• SILVER: Horchata Shadow Proof | Nut Beer category
• SILVER: Polynesian Passion | Spirits Barrel Aged Beer, Non-Whiskey category
• BRONZE: Midnight Choir | Barrel Aged Fruit Sour category
• BRONZE: Orange Vanilla Sunlight Cream Ale | American Style Fruit Beer – Orange category
• BRONZE: Soul Shakedown Party | Spirits Barrel Aged Beer, Non-Whiskey category

Other Indiana-based breweries, including Byway Brewing Co., Four Day Ray Brewing, Grand Junction Brewing Co., Metazoa Brewing Co., and Primeval Brewing also won medals at the event.

Visit the U.S. Open Beer Championship website for a full list of winning brews and breweries.