Shelton Brothers Next to Leave Indiana

Achel. Cantillon. De Molen. De Prouf. Dieu Du Ciel. Drie Fonteinen. EKU. Fantome. Haandbryggeriet. Jolly Pumpkin. Mikkeller. Nøgne Ø. Nørrebro Bryghus. Struise.

While these breweries may not be anyone's "regular", they are the sort of breweries whose beer fills a niche. If you're looking for a one-off beer to bring to a party of better beer fans, you could hardly go wrong picking from the list of breweries above.

They are also all breweries whose beer currently sits on the shelves of liquor stores throughout Indiana. But not for much longer. These beers, which are part of the "hand-selected" Shelton Brothers portfolio, have stopped being shipped to their Indiana distributor, Cavalier.

What's behind the decision to leave Indiana? It's hard to say.

"We received special shipment of Anstichs in Aug '10 and ordered Xmas seasonals at the same time. The Anstichs were the last items we've gotten. I've been aware of a growing disconnect for a couple of years. Heard both sides, and I find the whole situation tedious, in that while sides spat, consumers and retailers are the ones being punished," said New Albanian's Roger Baylor, via twitter.

Regardless, Cavalier isn't saying much.

"At this point you would be better to ask Shelton as they currently are not shipping us any beer and have not renewed their state registration," said Cavalier President Mat Gerdenich.

While brewery lineups continue to come and go in Indiana, this particular group are not easily replaced. Hoosier Beer Geek has attempted to contact Shelton Brothers. We'll let you know if we hear anything more.

For more on Shelton Brothers and the process behind the beer they import, check the comments on this interview with Urbain Coutteau of De Struise Brouwers from back in 2008.