Craft Brewery Opens its New BrewHouse to Expand Beer Production
Chicago—(ENEWSPF)–June 17, 2014 — Officially opening its new 300,000 square foot Chicago BrewHouse & TapRoom, Lagunitas Beer founder Tony Magee was joined by Governor Pat Quinn and Deputy Mayor Steve Koch and other Lagunitas staffers and entertainers at the new brewery located at 1843 Washtenaw on Chicago’s Near West Side.
The new state-of-the-art brewery will ultimately produce up to 1.7 million barrels per year of Lagunitas beer to be shared with every fan East of the Rockies. Beers brewed will include IPA, Lagunitas’ flagship and best-selling beer; PILS, the Brewery’s Czech-Style Pilsner; Little Sumpin’ Sumpin’ and more brands as production ramps up. The first several months’ of beer brewed have already hit the Chicago area, with future production earmarked for Lagunitas lovers throughout the Mest and points East.
“We’re excited and honestly very relieved to finally tap our first Lagunitas kegs from the new Chicago Brewery,” said Tony, who was born in Chicago. “First, we’re thrilled to continue to bring Lagunitas beer to our many friends who have enjoyed our craft brews for years and helped drive our success. I’d like to buy them all a Lagunitas beer, but this new brewery is our way of saying thanks and making sure we can keep supplying the beer they love.”
The new brewery is the largest in Chicago and potentially the largest single craft-brewing facility in the country. It will employ more than 125 Brewery, TapRoom and Schwag Store staffers. “The new Brewery will enable us to meet some of the pent-up demand, and deliver beer more efficiently which means even fresher beer to our tribe of craft followers,” added Tony. “Frankly, if we didn’t get this Brewery opened this Spring we would have had a tough time meeting the demand for our beers –the Petaluma Brewery team has been working overtime to meet our production needs and they need a rest!”
The new Chicago brewing team has been in place for months and Lagunitas IPA is now rolling off the production lines. “Our Chicago brewing team, like the one in Petaluma, brings so much passion and experience to the art of brewing,” said Mary Bauer, who has experience as a relief Brew Master with A-B and has now returned to her hometown. “Working in the craft beer arena is much more than a career, it’s a vocation … we love brewing beers our friends really love and that we do, too.”
Brewing Lagunitas portfolio of fast growing beers in Chicago offers several advantages. “Brewing Lagunitas in the Windy City is a natural fit as it’s one of our largest markets and it’s a well-established shipping hub which enables us to be even more environmentally friendly while continuing to brew great beer our followers really love,” said Tony. “It’s a real no-brainer from my point of view, plus it’s great to be back home with a story to tell and a few beers to share. And, it’s a dream come true for me and the entire Lagunitas team, including our distributor and retailer partners who helped make this happen!”
TapRoom to Open June 25th and Will Offer Brewery Tours, Beer Sampling, Music, Munchies and More
The Brewery and TapRoom will open to the public on Wednesday, June 25th and feature tours with sampling opportunities, live music every day they’re open, and plenty of tasty food to wash it all down with.
Craft beer fans and food lovers will have an opportunity to peek into the brewing process and enjoy some ‘freshies’ right from the source. “Our fans who visit are welcome to free tours of the Chicago Brewery where they can learn a bit about the Lagunitas culture and sample freshly-brewed craft beers along with tasty munchies in the TapRoom,” added Mary.
The Chicago TapRoom will feature live music every night they’re open and be closed Mondays and Tuesdays to be available for non-profit organizations to use, to raise money for their causes.
“Just like at our Northern California brewery, the new Chicago TapRoom will offer great entertainment along with food and beer,” added Tony, an accomplished musician whose band has played several events at the Petaluma and Chicago Breweries. “Brewing beer is a little like writing music, you need to blend creativity and art with passion and perseverance to create something memorable … and that’s our goal and something we want to share with our friends.”
For more information on the TapRoom and Brewery Tours in Chicago or Petaluma, please visit www.LAGUNITAS.com.
Source: lagunitas.com
