Be Kind. Drink Beer.
Step into the heart of Big Lug Brewing Co.,
where every pint tells a story.
Our Brews
Our beer selection is as diverse as it is delicious. From crisp lagers to hoppy IPAs, smooth stouts, and refreshing wheat beers, we have something to satisfy every beer lover’s palate. Whether you prefer a classic brew or enjoy trying new and innovative flavors, our beer selection has something for everyone to enjoy.
Stout – Pastry
A pastry stout to soothe your sweet tooth and your beer tooth (whatever that is). Made with hundreds of pounds of our cinnamon pecan coffee cake, this beer has the festive flavors of Sahm’s Coffee cake blended with the luxuriousness of stout!
Stout
Our fall Stout with a focus on balance of dark malts with American hops. A little higher alcohol so you won’t be scared of any ghouls, goblins, or slimers.
LAGER
A traditional light German lager that many consider the inspiration for the American light lager beloved by so many. Our version is golden in color, light and crisp, and features very light bitterness.
CITRUS PALE ALE
Easy-drinking, approachable, maltoriented American craft beer, often with interesting fruit, hop, or character malt notes. Well-balanced and clean, it is a refreshing pint without aggressive flavors. Our version is dry hopped during fermentation and after fermentation, hence “Double Dry Hopped” Blonde.
PORTER
Pirate Cat once wandered the Monon in search of adventure, and in his honor, we are asking you to take an adventure into this dark beer. It’s tempting to associate dark beers with heavy beers, but don’t do it! This rich brown beer has restrained roast and bitterness for an easy beer to order up.
AMERICAN IPA
A West Coast IPA is the biggest, fruitiest, piniest, citrusy..er..est type of IPA. It’s a beer that bowls you over with a volcano of grapefruit, lemon, and pine. It’s all about hops, hops and hops, with the malt having a say in a grainy, sweet contrast to all this fruit.
IPA – American
Did you drink a lot of beer in the mid 2000’s? Do you miss the aggressively hopped and bitter beers that were all the rage? Well we do, so we did something about it. A dank aroma with naval orange and lemon pith flavors are present in this abundantly delicious IPA.
Stout – Pastry
A pastry stout to soothe your sweet tooth and your beer tooth (whatever that is). Made with hundreds of pounds of our cinnamon pecan coffee cake, this beer has the festive flavors of Sahm’s Coffee cake blended with the luxuriousness of stout!
Stout
Our fall Stout with a focus on balance of dark malts with American hops. A little higher alcohol so you won’t be scared of any ghouls, goblins, or slimers.
LAGER
A traditional light German lager that many consider the inspiration for the American light lager beloved by so many. Our version is golden in color, light and crisp, and features very light bitterness.
CITRUS PALE ALE
Easy-drinking, approachable, maltoriented American craft beer, often with interesting fruit, hop, or character malt notes. Well-balanced and clean, it is a refreshing pint without aggressive flavors. Our version is dry hopped during fermentation and after fermentation, hence “Double Dry Hopped” Blonde.
PORTER
Pirate Cat once wandered the Monon in search of adventure, and in his honor, we are asking you to take an adventure into this dark beer. It’s tempting to associate dark beers with heavy beers, but don’t do it! This rich brown beer has restrained roast and bitterness for an easy beer to order up.
AMERICAN IPA
A West Coast IPA is the biggest, fruitiest, piniest, citrusy..er..est type of IPA. It’s a beer that bowls you over with a volcano of grapefruit, lemon, and pine. It’s all about hops, hops and hops, with the malt having a say in a grainy, sweet contrast to all this fruit.
IPA – American
Did you drink a lot of beer in the mid 2000’s? Do you miss the aggressively hopped and bitter beers that were all the rage? Well we do, so we did something about it. A dank aroma with naval orange and lemon pith flavors are present in this abundantly delicious IPA.
Brewing Locations
Big Lug Canteen and Half Liter are lively establishments where we take pride in crafting our own unique and delicious beer selections. Our cozy space invites you to relax and enjoy a wide variety of brews, each made with care and passion.
- Location 1
Big Lug Canteen
- Location 2
Half Liter
Upcoming Events
We have an exciting lineup of events scheduled. From live music performances to themed trivia nights, there is something for everyone to enjoy. Stay tuned for more details on these events and get ready to have a great time at Big Lug Canteen and Half Liter!
Featured Beers
Our Story
The brewery idea began when Eddie Sahm, running a craft beer restaurant, met Scott Ellis, bonding over classic styles, laid-back vibes, and music. They aimed to create a food-focused brewpub on the Monon Trail in Indianapolis, revitalizing the area. Scott joined Eddie, and together they built the brewery from scratch.
After considering various names and aspects, the brewery “Big Lug” was chosen to reflect a friendly, passionate, and community-oriented atmosphere. The brewery aims to be a place where people can come together and share a sense of community over a beer.
Big Lug's journey
Big Lug’s
After Big Lug Canteens opening, our restaurant company, Sahm’s Hospitality Group, has grown across central Indiana. This meant more Big Lug taps too, but also meant that the word “Canteen” was a little too obscure. Big Lug Canteen stayed as the name for our Nora brewpub, but we changed the name of our brewery to Big Lug Brewing Company.
In 2018 we jumped on the opportunity to purchase and revamp a brewery near us. It tripled the brewing capacity of Big Lug Brewing, added a canning line (which we are convinced is the oldest in America, and we are at least 98% certain) to the bag of brewery tricks. On top of the production brewery, we also opened up Liter House Event Space and Half Liter Beer & BBQ. All three are staples of the South Broad Ripple area.
Since 2020, which was rough, the focus has been on quality, forward thinking brewing techniques, and balanced beer lineups to exceed expectations of our guests.
Frequently Asked Questions
This is where all the answers to your questions are.
It just felt right. Using Brewery or Brewpub just seemed too polarizing when it came down to who we would attract. The word Canteen allowed us to be more creative in the conceptual stages.
Also, Eddie loves Star Wars and having a Canteen is just fun to tell other Star Wars nerds.
As an outdoor focused duo, the goal was always to build where walkability was at the forefront. The Monon connected many of the neighborhoods that family and friends lived in, and if you haven’t done it before, walking or biking to a brewery just hits a little different.
We will continue to build in locations that help connect Indianapolis and Indiana in unique ways.
There is an affinity for ranch here amongst the brewers, but not like that. The name comes from a day on the golf course drinking lagers. As a recipe started to formulate, a name was needed. Eddie mentioned the name Goat Ranch, referring to the shape of the course around them, and thus the name was born.
Ales and Lagers. The layout was created to give equal opportunity to all beer. While there is no claim to be experts in any specific style, you will see just about everything from Pilsners, Porters, Stouts, and Kettle Sours, to Belgians, IPA’s, Radlers, and Festbiers.
Yes! Between Half Liter BBQ and Big Lug Canteen, all of the beer sold at Big Lug Brewing Company is made on site.
Yes! While they are not regularly scheduled, we do take requests and also as add ons to events scheduled at our two event spaces. Barrel Room at Big Lug Canteen and Liter House Events at Half Liter BBQ can be reached at Banquets@Sahms.com.
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