Our Story

From its humble beginnings in a Murphysboro garage to a multi-state distribution powerhouse, Big Muddy Brewing has spent the last 17 years rewriting the playbook for Southern Illinois craft beer. What started in 2009 with a pickup truck and a few kegs has evolved into a regional staple that has now poured over 10 million beers for fans across the country.

Big Muddy Brewing’s founder Chuck Stuhrenberg attended Southern Illinois University Carbondale in the 1980s. After graduation, he opened a franchise of Chicago’s Rosati’s Pizza in Carbondale and in 1990, began another venture, Spray Shield Industries.
It was while Stuhrenberg was in college at SIU that he began making his own beer.
Stuhrenberg and his college buddies would homebrew, and as the years went on, he began to take his hobby more seriously.
Stuhrenberg always had professional brewing in the back of his mind, but it stayed a hobby until 2009. In July, 2009, Big Muddy Brewing finally began production, the first brewery in Murphysboro in over 50 years and first production brewery south of Chicago since prohibition.

The first beer offered by Big Muddy Brewing was Kinkaid Wheat. It was a recipe popular with Stuhrenberg’s family and friends. It was also something he felt would be a good “craft beer transition brew” for those used to the conventional corporate brew (BMC).

From the heart of Murphysboro to the Atlantic coast, the story of Big Muddy’s distribution is a testament to the "little brewery that could." After 17 years and 10 million beers, that original pickup truck delivery route has transformed into a sophisticated logistics network spanning half the country.