Politics & Government

Idea for Oak Park Brewery Ferments

It might soon be easy to grab a growler of grog.

Thirsty?

Oak Park could be the home of a new small batch brewery.

Brian Keyes, a 38-year-old home brew enthusiast, told Wednesday Journal he's hoping to secure a local storefront — either in Oak Park or Berwyn — to begin churning out his signature beers, including ryes and stouts.

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Though the concept has a name and a bare-bones website, the financial realities may take a while to ferment — Keyes estimates he's still about one year to 18 months away from opening a storefront, where he hopes to sell about 300 kegs of specialty beer each year.

There's certainly local interest. Last summer's Microbrew and Food Review in downtown Oak Park who sipped on selections from 25 Midwestern craft breweries.

Find out what's happening in Oak Park-River Forestwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

At the time, Village Manager Tom Barwin said the event's popularity was a clear signal that a microbrewery would likely be a hit.

"I am predicting that by next year's brewfest, we'll have a microbrewery somewhere in town," Barwin said at the time.


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