From lagers to pale ale, breweries across Illinois on Friday kicked off a week-long celebration to mark the start of the summer craft beer season.
“It’s just a really great time for a lot of these craft beer lovers to get together, drink, and hang out and try new and exciting products,” said Tony Dziura, the national sales director for Pilot Project Brewing.
The brewing company joined in on the fun by promoting the industry and encouraging new people to try craft beer.
“It’s blown up so much in the last few years, right? It’s not just dialed into like one genre of folks,” Dziura said. “Everybody enjoying craft beer.”
Pilot Project offers a number of brews on tap, including a fan-favorite fruited pale ale. The executive director of the Illinois Craft Brewers Guild told NBC Chicago he believes the industry has bouncing back from the pandemic.
“We have just about 300 breweries across the state. There were some closures after the pandemic, but we have rebounded nicely,” said Ray Stout, executive director of the Illinois Craft Brewers Guild. “Breweries are making less beer, but there’s more breweries popping up so we’re settling into more of these local brew pub model.”
The state will kick off Craft Beer Week with a huge festival on Friday evening at Union Station, where attendees will get the chance to sample more than 400 craft beer options.
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“We’re hosting about 120 breweries from all across the state,” said Stout. “Each pouring two to four beers, and so it’s a celebration, and we’re encouraging people to come out and support this industry.”
The owner of Trails Edge in Frankfort and his team spent time preparing to welcome new customers.
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“Once people start learning that there is like a little bit of depth to the craft beers, I think that brings more and more people in," said Cosgrove.
He’s hoping his handcrafted beer, which is brewed on site in the south suburbs, will encourage people to venture out. Like other businesses, the company faced challenges during the pandemic.
“Now they’re allowing outdoor patios every summer, so business has actually been better than ever,” he said. “Since the city opened that outdoor sitting—it’s really been good.”
Whether or not it’s your beer of choice, industry experts said they’re seeing a $3 billion dollar economic impact statewide.
“Craft beer is really engrained in the culture of Illinois, and Illinois is engrained in the culture of craft beer and this is our opportunity to showcase just that,” said Stout.
