Starlight Distributors will deliver more 18th Street beer to craft bars in the Indianapolis area, and the brewery is looking for a distributor to keep its products in the European market. Fox also is eyeing an eventual return to the Chicago market, and is particularly interested in the Hyde Park neighborhood on the south side, which he said remains underserved despite the explosion of craft brewing in the city.

Fox, whose business card identifies him as the "Nubian Overlord" of 18th Street, has not taken a salary so he could reinvest the brewery's profits into growth. A Nubian is a native or inhabitant of Nubia, an ancient region of Northeast Africa, and also can refer to anything relating to African-American culture or history. New tanks will increase production capacity to more than 1,000 barrels a year from the current 500 barrels.

"We made the smart decision in the beginning to make sure we were fiscally responsible with how we spend our money and manage payroll," Fox said. "Obviously, bottle sales help. Just by the regular consumer coming in every day to our tap, buying lunch or buying dinner -- that's been a huge factor in the expansion. Banks aren't lending money right now, so we made the decision to self-finance the operation."