Places Opening Early Saturday So You Can Enjoy Beer With Your Soccer

by Mark E. Lasbury for Indiana On Tap

When is it better to watch a sporting event on TV than to be there in person? When you can’t get a beer at the game! The nation of Qatar banned all alcohol sales just prior to the start of the World Cup games, so I canceled our flight and just decided to watch it from a craft beer bar or brewery her in Indiana. We don’t have to pay for game tickets or hotels – all that money can go toward beers, and we still get to see all the games.

In their defense, visitors to Qatar for the Cup have made the effort to get as much beer as possible before and after the games. One American fan published a Qatar Alcohol Map (here), and the England fans have literally taken over some hotel bars before marching over to the stadium. But it’s still not the same as enjoying the game, your friends, and a beer, all at the same time.

In an effort to increase your enjoyment of the games, particularly the achievement made by the US men to reach the knockout rounds, we have compiled a list of places that will be opening early on Saturday. The USA will take on the Netherlands (ranked xx worldwide) at 10am Eastern (9am CST) in the round of sixteen. Christian Pulisic of the US says that he will be ready for the game despite being taken to the hospital after scoring what would be the game winner against Iran, and no US players will be sitting because of accrued yellow cards, so we should be able to take our best shot at this.

The list below is by no means complete. We checked each establishment Facebook page and then called them if we didn’t see an event noted – at least for the first 50 breweries. It became apparent that if they didn’t say so on their FB page, it was very unlikely that they would be opening early. However, if you don’t see your favorite watering hole here, do call them to see if they would consider opening up for the game.

Northern Indiana:
Deer Park Irish Pub in Fort Wayne – open at 9am with brunch
Fessors Brewery in Argos – opens before game with $3 beers, free coffee and eggs & sausage
Fiddler’s Hearth in South Bend – will open at 9:30am, with Scotch eggs and breakfast sandwiches
Hop River Brewing in Fort Wayne – will open at 9am with a special breakfast menu
J.K. O’Donnell’s Irish Ale House in Fort Wayne – open at 10am
South Bend Brew Werks in South Bend – bar will open early at 10am, kitchen opens at 11am
Westwind Brewery in Elkhart – doors will open at 9:30 and they will have a special breakfast sandwich available.

Central Indiana:
Centerpoint Brewing in Indy – open at 9:30am
Chatham Tap in Indy and Fishers – selling tickets, go on sale 12/1, doors open at 8am, standing room will be FCFS
Danny Boy Beer Works in Carmel – will open at 9:30am
Flix Brewhouse in Carmel – opens at 10am
Grand Junction Brewing in Westfield – open at 9:30 am and a special early menu from The BBQ Yard at Grand Junction
Klooz Brewz in Lebanon – will be open at 9:30am. They will have their jumbo pretzels, and the kitchen will open at 11am.
Moontown Brewing in Whitestown – Will open at 10am, with the kitchen opening at 11am.
Union Jack Pub in Indy and Westfield – will open up at 7:15am for first come, first serve. There will be an overflow tent with a big screen out back as well.

Southern Indiana:
Myriad Brewing in Evansville – 9am with coffee, beer & doughnuts
Our Lady of Perpetual Hops in New Albany – will open at 10am
St. Benedict’s Brew Works in Ferdinand, Jasper, and Rockport – locations will open at 10am
Switchyard Brewing in Bloomington – open at 10am

Not Indiana, but saw it listed:
Rhinegeist Brewery – will be open at 10am for the game