Welcoming Back The Bad Boys – Terre Haute Brewing Reopens Its Taproom

28 Dec Welcoming Back The Bad Boys – Terre Haute Brewing Reopens Its Taproom

by Mark E. Lasbury for Indiana On Tap

Terre Haute Brewing Company has a very long history, with various iterations of the brewery having been around since the first half of the 19^th century. To this day, the brewery is located in one of the original buildings of the once three-square block brewery complex. At one time, Terre Haute Brewing Company was the seventh largest brewery in the country, buoyed by their famous Champagne Velvet brand (started in 1902 and sold to Upland Brewing in 2012 after the recipe was rediscovered in 1990).

The company has been a rebel in the industry for over 100 years, including being a favorite supplier for the likes of Al Capone during Prohibition and a hangout for bank robber John Dillinger in the 20’s and 30’s. These types of rebels mesh well with the history and philosophy of Terre Haute Brewing beer, so they have recently incorporated that attitude into their branding, with the new tagline “Breaking the law since 1837.”

image credit: Terre Haute Brewing Company

In mid-2024, the taproom for the brewery closed its doors, even though they continued to make and distribute beer. A restaurant partnership had not worked out, and the guys decided that they wanted to take a while to get back to their roots – a making great beer – and then reinvent the taproom as a place to celebrate people and craft beer.

They re-opened the taproom at the beginning of December, with a focus on creating community and lubricating that community with their sours, smoked beers, traditional styles, innovative styles – basically running the gamut of craft beer. Just in the last couple of weeks they have released a new Scottish Ale, a Ekuanot IPA, a spiced ale, a double black IPA, a dunkel, and a gingerbread /cranberry sour!

In keeping with their on-a-legal-knife-edge reputation, you should take a look at their ’37 Special, a vintage lager. The beer is crisp, and the can label features a group of heavily armed policemen outside the front doors of the brewery. The brewery proudly proclaims that they had always seemed to attract special attention from the authorities back in the day.

image credit: Terre Haute Brewing Company

There are new games in the taproom (darts, air hockey, foosball, table tennis, etc.) to facilitate fun and conversation, and there’s live music – lots of live music. While focusing on the beer, there is some food too, with the famous stoned-fired pizza pies from Scout’s Pizzeria, brats, and even free hotdogs on certain days.

The idea of keeping the menu simple allows everyone concentrate on the beer, on the history of the place they’re in, and on their friends. The history of the city, the brewery, and the gangsters that used to hang out here are reflected in a new video made by Chris Karabas, chief marketing officer for the brewery, that can be accessed via a QR code on the cans, or at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=thECAD1eLUs.

Speaking of the Terre Haute Brewing cans, if you can’t make it to the taproom every time you crave a Wango Tango or one of the other beers, they have now started selling proper six packs of their core beers in 50 accounts all around central Indiana, as well as four packs of specialty beers.

Let your inner rebel emerge and get to Terre Haute Brewing Company to experience the beer, the history, the music, and the fun. It’s so much fun, it’s almost criminal.