Chicago’s beer scene is booming, and it’s about to get even bigger.
Beer enthusiasts and Chicagoans will soon get their first look at Lagunitas Brewing Company’s new Douglas Park facility and taproom.
The company began brewing at the facility in April but is now opening the location to the public and unveiling a new taproom, where beer aficionados can hang out and sample the goods. The taproom and brewery will officially open at 4:20 p.m. Wednesday, June 25.
The Douglas Park location, at 1843 S. Washtenaw Ave., is in a 300,000-square foot warehouse complex formerly part of the Ryerson Steel Plant.
The brewery has the capacity to brew 200,000 barrels of beer a year, making it the largest brewery in the state.
Chicago is apparently a prime location for the brewing business, according to Lagunitas founder and Chicago native Tony Magee.
“It’s the crossroads of the country from a transportation standpoint,” Magee said in a statement, adding, “Lake Michigan just might have the best brewing water in the country, this is where I was born and raised and it’s Chifrikncago.”
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Beer from the Chicago facility is shipped to all markets east of the Rockies, London and Sweden, the company said.
