Earthy, sharp, grainy, elegant — a few words to describe beer. Medieval, dragons, Viking artifacts — a few words to describe an award-winning beer bar in Muncie.
Heorot Pub, located on 219 S. Walnut St., was voted the 2018 No. 1 beer bar in Indiana by Craft Beer Magazine. That article was then published in the business magazine Forbes.
“It is a great surprise and honor to be picked,” said Stan Stephens, the owner. “Our logo used to be, ‘It is all about the beer.’ We try to have a great selection here. There are no TVs. It is a conversation place. You come, you enjoy your beer, you enjoy your company.”
This isn’t the first time the beer at Heorot Pub has been recognized. From 2010-16, it was listed as one of America’s top 100 beer bars in DRAFT Magazine.
Heorot Pub, started 23 years ago, never sought out awards but rather sought out a variety of beer, said Stephens.
“When we opened up, bars like us just didn’t exist,” Stephens said. “I drove a truck across the country and tried some beers from small breweries. We wanted to do something different from them. So, I offered a wider variety of beer.”
When Heorot Pub started, it had seven beers on draft. Now, Stephens said it offers “almost as many draft lines as they do seats,” with 70 draft beers including meads, lagers, ales and ciders and over 300 bottled beer.
Stephen said he brought in a large selection of beer to expose customers to a wide variety.
“We have a lot of different beers to expose a lot of different people to a lot of beer and just change the way they think about beer. So many flavors, so many different breweries, so many styles are available now,” Stephens said. “I want to match a customer up with a beer they like but maybe get them to try something different. I want to have enough of a selection that they can have a similar beer or a little bit different style.”
Former Muncie resident, Sarah Grace said while she has lived on both coasts on the United States, she has not found a beer bar with as extensive as a selection as Heorot Pub.
“It is pretty rare to go anywhere and find that selection of quality beer,” Grace said. “You really can’t find it that often. Other places don’t really have anything that compares to them as far as selection, quality, knowledgeable staff and atmosphere.”
While Heorot Pub brings in many beers, they also make it too. Wolves Head Brewery, which opened six years ago, was the first commercial brewery in Muncie.
To celebrate this year’s award, Heorot Pub will have $1 and $2 drafts from 1-5 p.m. April 8.
Stephens said there will a display of Heorot T-shirts — one for every year the pub has been open. Customers can vote on their favorite T-shirt for $0.50 and the money will donated to Action for Animals.
Contact Liz Rieth with comments at ejrieth@bsu.edu or on Twitter @liz_rieth.
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