WHITESTOWN, Ind. — The Midwest is home to some of the best commercial (Anheuser-Busch in St. Louis, Missouri) and craft (Bell’s Brewery in Kalamazoo, Michigan) breweries in the country. That’s why Hoosiers can be especially proud of a new distinction Midwest Living gave to a Boone County brewery.
Raise a toast to Moontown Brewing Company (345 S. Bowers Street) in Whitestown. It was recently given the title of best brewery in Midwest Living’s 2023 Best of the Midwest awards.
“Drinking beer in the school gym is no teen fantasy at this craft brewery and restaurant in old Whitestown High School, just outside Indianapolis,” wrote the magazine.
The brewery opened in 2018 after renovating the Whitestown High School, which closed in 1963.
Several original elements showcasing the school’s history are still present today including the school’s bleachers being converted to wood trim and original windows from the gymnasium.
Moontown is no stranger to the limelight. In 2021, it was named the Brewery of the Year in the Great American Beer Fest’s 500 – 1,000 barrels category. Its American cream ale Moonlite also received a gold medal (2020) and silver medal (2021) in the Great American Beer Fest.
Central Indiana also landed on the list in several other categories. Milktooth in the Fletcher Place neighborhood was named the best brunch in the Midwest, and Indy’s Windsor Park was named the best revitalized neighborhood.