Cocktail Bar
Unclaimed profileSun King Carmel
Carmel, IN · $$
Inebrious
Beverage Program Score
The editorial take
Sun King pours a brewery lineup that earns its medals, led by Sunlight Cream Ale's gold at the 2024 U.S. Beer Open and silver at the 2023 Great American Beer Festival. Year-round staples like Orange Vanilla Cream Ale, Wee Mac, and Pachanga cover range, while seasonal pours and non-alcoholic options round out the program. Partner restaurant food is on-site.
- What should I order?
- Start with Sunlight Cream Ale, the flagship that took gold at the 2024 U.S. Beer Open and silver at the 2023 Great American Beer Festival. For something darker, Wee Mac Scottish-Style Ale brings caramel, cocoa, and hazelnut. If you want hops, GFJ IPA is the brewery's most popular year-round IPA.
- Who will enjoy this place?
- Beer enthusiasts seeking medal-winning brews and a wide range of styles, from light lagers to IPAs and stouts. Non-alcoholic drinkers have two dedicated options.
- What makes the beverage program distinctive?
- The beer list doubles as an award case: Sunlight Cream Ale and Pachanga Mexican-Style Lager hold multiple national medals, and Orange Vanilla Cream Ale took bronze at the 2022 US Beer Open. Seasonal experiments like Java House Cold Brew Martini Stout keep the selection lively.
Beverage categories
We only score what a venue sets out to do. Categories a venue doesn't attempt are left unscored rather than penalized.
Beer
A broad year-round lineup of seven flagships plus seasonals. Sunlight Cream Ale and Pachanga have multiple national medals, and Orange Vanilla Cream Ale earned bronze. Customer accounts praise the orange vanilla cream ale and the overall selection.
Menu strengths
- — Sunlight Cream Ale won gold at the 2024 U.S. Beer Open and silver at the 2023 Great American Beer Festival.
- — Pachanga Mexican-Style Lager holds gold and silver from the US Beer Open and bronze from the Great American Beer Festival.
- — Year-round and seasonal variety spans cream ales, a Scottish-style ale, a pale ale, a lager, an IPA, and stouts.
Standout selections
- — Sunlight Cream Ale – Flagship cream ale, 5.3% ABV, 20 IBU; multiple national medals.
- — Orange Vanilla Cream Ale – Cream ale with vanilla and orange notes, 5.0% ABV; bronze at 2022 US Beer Open.
- — Pachanga Mexican-Style Lager – Mexican-style lager with subtle lime, 4.2% ABV; multiple medals.
- — GFJ IPA – American IPA with tropical hop flavors, 7.4% ABV; brewery's most popular IPA.
Nonalcoholic
Two dedicated non-alcoholic beers: Hopopolis Non-Alcoholic IPA with citrus and grapefruit, and Non-Alcoholic Sunlight Cream Ale. Both are 0.5% ABV, giving non-drinkers a choice between a hoppy and a creamy option.
Menu strengths
- — Multiple non-alcoholic beers are available, not just a single token option.
- — The non-alcoholic Sunlight Cream Ale mirrors the flavor of the flagship award-winning cream ale.
Standout selections
- — Hopopolis Non-Alcoholic IPA – Citrus and grapefruit flavors at 0.5% ABV.
- — Non-Alcoholic Sunlight Cream Ale – Non-alcoholic version of the flagship cream ale, 0.5% ABV.
How it sits with the food
Partner restaurants King Dough, La Margarita, and The Den by FoxGardin supply food on-site; a Mexican-style lager like Pachanga would suit La Margarita's menu.
Inebrious does not score kitchens, food or the restaurant overall. We review the beverage program only.
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