Tailgate Beer to Open Brewery in Indiana

San Diego-based TailGate Beer plans to open a beer production, packaging and distribution facility south of Indianapolis, creating as many as 150 jobs over the next three years, state economic development officials have announced.

The company said it will invest millions of dollars in machinery, equipment and energy-efficiency upgrades to establish operations in an existing 48,000-square-foot building in Franklin Business Park. The company plans to begin hiring in 2011 after it upgrades the facility and acquires permits and licenses.
TailGate Beer was founded two years ago in San Diego and distributes six varieties of craft beer to bars, groceries, restaurants and liquor stores.

The Indiana Economic Development Corp. offered TailGate Beer up to $1.85 million in performance-based tax credits and $100,000 in training grants based on the company’s job-creation plans, according to wire service reports.  The city of Franklin will consider additional incentives at the request of the Johnson County Development Corp.

TailGate Owner Wesley Keegan, a 24-year-old who founded the company right after graduating from San Diego State University, said Tailgate considered numerous sites in a dozen states before deciding on Indiana for expansion.