Upland Brewing Denied Brewery in Pawnee, Indiana

NBC’s hit tv show Parks & Rec is in their final season. (Sad news.) Over the years, Upland Beer has been seen on the show in the hands of the cast. Upland jokingly wanted to build a brewery in Pawnee, Indiana. Leslie Knope headed up the campaign the brewery expansion, but Congressman Jeremy Jamm set up his usual roadblocks. When Sweetums wanted to put sugar and artificial sweeteners in all the beer, the brewery had to kill the project.

Since Upland first started distributing to Pawnee, Indiana in 2009 their sales have sky rocketed.  With so much of their wholesale product being delivered directly to Pawnee they found it only prudent to build a brewery in the area.  “We’ve built a 15-year strong craft brewery and made a lot of friends, while being an active partner in our many communities,” said Upland President Doug Dayhoff. 

When they began working with Pawnee City Council on their building permit, Councilwoman Leslie Knope spearheaded a campaign for its approval.  With Upland’s long-standing history with the Sycamore Land Trust she found them a willing partner in preserving Indiana greenspaces.  

Unfortunately, The building permit was “Jammed” when Upland refused to compromise their artisanal integrity by adding Sweetums artificial sweeteners to their recipes.

As a sign of continued good will, Leslie Knope and the rest of the Parks and Recreation staff invited Upland Brewing Company for a visit.  Upland was received as dignitaries and given the royal treatment.  One of the highlights of the trip was their visit to long time Upland supporter, Tom’s Tavern, where they were able to enjoy a pint of Upland Wheat among their new Pawnee friends.

Special thanks to Andy Dwyer who shared with us his many craft beer insights and Gay Perello for all of her support over the years. 

P.S. Pawnee, Indiana isn’t a real place. Although a brewery in Pawnee would have been a great storyline. Upland Brewing Co.did get an opportunity to visit the Parks and Rec set, meeting the famous Andy Dwyer (Chris Pratt). The final season begins airing on January 13th, at 8 pm.

Above image via Upland, features the brewery folks on set.